New York, United States.- A large neon sign located at the intersection of 34th Street and 8th Avenue in New York City commemorates this Wednesday the 99th anniversary of the birth of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro.

“A revolutionary leader and unwavering defender of the oppressed, Fidel lives on in all those who fight for a better world,” wrote the People’s Forum, the organization promoting the initiative, on the social network X, highlighting in its message that the celebration marks the beginning of his centennial.

His life reminds us that dignity, sovereignty, and solidarity are not just ideals, but battles that must be fought and won, it added.

The group recalled that 2025 also marks the 100th anniversary of Malcolm X (May 19, 1925–February 21, 1965), “another unwavering voice for liberation, whose legacy continues to ignite struggles here and around the world,” they emphasized.

“The visions of Fidel and Malcolm live on in every movement that dares to imagine and build a better future for the people,” The People’s Forum emphasized.

Among the images projected are one that immortalized the only meeting between Fidel and Malcolm X at the Hotel Theresa on September 19, 1960, in the iconic New York neighborhood of Harlem, and one during their participation in the UN General Assembly.

Texts such as “100 Years of Fidel,” “100 Years of Fidel and Malcolm X,” and “Let Cuba Live” can also be seen.

Just a few months after the triumph of January 1, 1959, the young rebel, then Cuban prime minister, was warmly welcomed by the people of the United States. His tour, from April 15 to 28, included several cities in the country, including New York, Boston, and the nation’s capital.

It was on his second trip, a year later, that he met with Malcolm X on September 19, 1960, and the people of Harlem welcomed him.

Days later, on September 26, at the UN podium, Fidel raised his voice: “We are and always will be: against colonialism, against exploitation, against monopolies, against militarism, against the arms race, against playing war games. We will always be against that. That will be our position.”

Born on August 13, 1926, in Birán, present-day Holguín province (eastern Cuba), Fidel was physically killed hundreds of times. For years, the island’s State Security services identified plans in various stages of development. From poisoned powders and shakes, explosive cigars, deadly diving suits, and possible bazooka shots, the Cuban leader escaped unscathed between 1958 and 2000, resulting in 634 plots to kill him.

Considered one of the most outstanding political figures of the 20th and early 21st centuries, Fidel passed away on November 25, 2016, at the age of 90.

Recognizing that all the glory in the world fits in a grain of corn, he asked that no statues be erected to remember him. On the monolith where his ashes rest in the Santa Ifigenia cemetery, in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba, only the five letters of his name stand out.