A warm and moving tribute to Malcolm X, by Lewis H. Michaux (1895-1976), owner of the National Memorial African Book Store. It was surely printed in the immediate aftermath of his death on 21 February, 1965.
Malcolm X and Michaux were good friends, with the former a customer and regular visitor of the store, which hosted book signings for the likes of Joe Louis, Eartha Kitt, Louis Armstrong, and Langston Hughes, and parties for visiting luminaries such as Kwame Nkrumah, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Nikki Giovanni. “In Harlem, Lewis Michaux was affectionately dubbed ‘Professor Michaux’ by writers, scholars, and other bookworms who frequented his bookstore on 125th Street. The bookstore … became a prominent meeting place for black nationalists in Harlem” (DeCaro). Michaux was both a leader of the African Nationalists in America and lent his support for Marcus Garvey’s back to Africa movement.
The warmth of their friendship is evident to all in this tribute. Set out as a loose acrostic, Michaux singles out Malcolm X’s qualities, including: magnitude, adroitness, courage, leadership, martyrdom, and x-ray vision. The text is nicely augmented by a portrait of Malcolm X at the top. Such was his standing, Michaux was one of the very few people X’s widow, Betty, allowed to comfort her in the aftermath of the slaying.
Very rare: OCLC locates a single copy at Temple.
Decaro L., & Decaro, Jr, L., Malcolm and the Cross … (NYU, 1998), p.143.
