Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Malcolm X

There's certainly a lot that has been said about Malcolm X, while he was alive and after his death, not the least of which is The Autobiography of Malcolm X, ghost-written by Alex Haley. But when was the last time you actually saw Malcolm X? This video from 1963 [via Dangerous Minds] is a reminder of, as the article says, his personal grace under pressure. More, it's an artifact of a time not terribly long ago that in some ways seems so close, and in other ways so far. The issues of race in America have not been resolved, even though America is a radically different country from what it was 50 years ago. Watch this for a snapshot of that time, and for a gestalt of Malcolm's personality. It's startling.


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