The standing room only crowd in the largest venue on campus was wary, expecting an angry, militant laden speech. But from his first words he was full of charm and humor and logic and made so much sense. He won over the crowd in an instant. I was not a political being but seeing him speak in person was an unforgettable experience.
I became a fan and his message resonated.
His assassination probably affected me more than that of Martin Luther King.
Here is a link to speeches.
http://malcolmxfiles.blogspot.com/p/malcolm-x-speeches_9918.html
I remember that appearance, but as I recall it was in 1963. He spoke at Whitman Auditorium. You are quite right in your reminiscence that Malcolm was full of logic and "made so much sense." His appearance was preceded by expectations buzzing around campus that an African American activist who "hated white people" and was preaching violence was coming to speak. Instead a scholarly chap of calm demeanor appeared and thwarted these stereotypes. It was a concrete example of how public figures serve as Rorschach tests upon whom are projected stereotypical attitudes and imagery.
ReplyDeleteGlad you can share. It changed my attitude. I wonder if we ever ran into each other in classes. I was a history major and in tau delta phi frat. Graduated in 66 and then was in masters program for a few years.
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ReplyDeleteI remember taking a long subway ride back and forth from 168th Street in Washington Heights to hear Malcolm X speak at Brooklyn College. I had been a great admirer and wanted to see him speak in person. It was a very moving, meaningful presentation with which I identified as a Puerto Rican woman attending Brooklyn College.
It was memorable and had a big influence on my thinking about race. He really won over many in the audience. It was overflowing.
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ReplyDeleteI remember taking a long subway ride back and forth from 168th Street in Washington Heights to hear Malcolm X speak at Brooklyn College. I had been a great admirer and wanted to see him speak in person. It was a very moving, meaningful presentation with which I identified as a Puerto Rican woman attending Brooklyn College.
I remember taking a long subway ride back and forth from 168th Street in Washington Heights to hear Malcolm X speak at Brooklyn College. I had been a great admirer and wanted to see him speak in person. It was a very moving, meaningful presentation with which I identified as a Puerto Rican woman attending Brooklyn College.
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