FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Laini Madhubuti
212-491-2259

THE SCHOMBURG CENTER FOR RESEARCH IN BLACK CULTURE PRESENTS MALCOLM X: A SEARCH FOR TRUTH

May 19-December 31, 2005

Malcolm X. Photographer: Laurence Henry.
Laurence Henry Collection, Photographs and Prints Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library, is pleased to present Malcolm X: A Search for Truth, an exhibition in commemoration of the eightieth anniversary of the birth of Malcolm X/El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. The exhibition is based in part on the collection of personal and professional papers and memorabilia of Malcolm X that was rescued from auction in 2002 and placed on deposit at the Schomburg Center by the Shabazz family in addition to items from the Henry Hampton collection at Washington University in St. Louis and the Charles H. Wright Museum in Detroit. Complemented by an epilogue focusing on courtroom evidence from the Municipal Archives and courtroom images by Tracy Sugarman in the Schomburg Center’s Art and Artifacts Division, Malcolm X: A Search for Truth uses the materials from these extraordinary collections as well as other collections from the Center.

Three words immediately come to mind whenever the name Malcolm X/El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz is mentioned: martyr, mystery and majesty. Martyr, because his assassination on Feb. 21, 1965 was widely interpreted as his sacrifice on behalf of the black struggle for freedom and human dignity. Mystery, because he was often misunderstood in his day. Majesty, because today he is revered throughout the black world as what Ossie Davis called, “our shining Black prince who didn’t hesitate to die because he loved us so.” One of the most prominent and revered icons of the 20th century, Malcolm X, the man, has remained a mystery to most of the world.

Malcom X: A Search for Truth seeks to offer a fresh look at the brief but dynamic life of Malcolm X using his own voice through journal entries, speeches complete with hand-written notation, correspondence, and recordings. Many of the more than 250 images and items have never been exhibited for public viewing. Highlights of the exhibition include Letter from Malcolm Little while in prison to his brother Philbert Little, February 4, 1949; Letter to Donald Clemmer from Malcolm X requesting permission to lecture to Muslim inmates at Lorton Reformatory, Washington, D.C., June 16, 1963; Letter from Malcolm X to Betty Shabazz, written in flight between Tampa and Miami, Florida, December 18, 1960; Malcolm X handwritten speech notes; Letter to Malcolm Shabazz from Elijah Muhammad in which Malcolm X is warned to be careful about mentioning President John F. Kennedy by name in talks and printed materials, August 1, 1963; An open letter from Malcolm X to Elijah Muhammad questioning why members of the Fruit of Islam are being rallied to attack people who refuse to accept Muhammad’s explanation for fathering illegitimate children, June 23, 1964; travel diaries and photographs from Malcolm X’s trips to Mecca and Africa.

Malcolm X speaks at rally in front of Lewis Micheaux’s National Memorial African Bookstore, 125th Street and Seventh Avenue, Harlem, circa. 1962. Photographer: Robert L. Haggins.
Malcolm X Collection, Photographs and Prints Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library

These never-before-exhibited materials present a provocative and informative perspective on the life of the person known variously as Malcolm Little, “Detroit Red,” Malcolm X, and El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. More significantly, the exhibition poses questions about the nature of the developmental journey that Malcolm Little pursued to become El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. The subtitle A Search for Truth focuses the interpretive dimensions of the exhibition on the process and products of his driving intellectual quest for truth about himself, his family, his people, his country, and his world.

“This sensitively curated exhibition by the Schomburg Center permits the general public access to our parents in ways previously impossible,” said Ilyasah Shabazz, one of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz’s six daughters. “These pictures, letters, and artifacts detail the evolution of their quest for social justice. We see them purely, plainly, and simply committed to giving back to the world what their parents had given to them: thirst for knowledge, love for humanity, and passion for justice.”

In 2003, The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture acquired an extensive collection of materials documenting the life and times of Malcolm X. Stored for years in the family residence, the collection was shipped to Florida where it eventually ended up on the auction block. Through a series of legal negotiations, the collection, which was a part of the Malcolm X/Betty Shabazz Estate, was eventually returned to the Shabazz family. The family in turn deposited the collection at the Schomburg Center for a period of 75 years.

“This is one of the single most important collections to come to The New York Public Library in the last decade,” said Dr. Paul LeClerc, President of The New York Public Library. “And it is one of the only significant collections of archival materials on this galvanizing leader. The path blazed by Malcolm X led African Americans to greater freedom and respect in our society. It is important that the history of his efforts be preserved and made accessible to future generations.”

The Schomburg Center’s Malcolm X collection is unique in that it contains a wide range of speeches, sermons, radio broadcasts, diaries, correspondence and other documents handwritten by Malcolm X or typed and edited at his direction. As such, it is the most comprehensive body of written and printed text by Malcolm X known to exist. Those documents are accompanied by an extensive collection of photographs documenting his life and work as well as memorabilia, and films of speeches, rallies and other events. Among the highlights of the collection are letters to his brother while he was in prison in 1949-1950 documenting his conversion to Islam; copies of his personal Holy Koran; his Bible; his personal briefcase; and diaries from his visits to Mecca and Africa after his break with the Nation of Islam.

Malcolm X, wife Betty Shabazz, and daughters Attallah and Qubilah, circa 1962.
Photographer: Richard Saunders.
Richard Saunders Collection, Photographs and Prints Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library

“This is the first time that a major exhibition on the life and times of Malcolm X will have been presented to the public,” noted Howard Dodson, Director of the Schomburg Center. “It’s the first time that many of the materials in the exhibition will be on view to the public and the 80th birthday of Malcolm X and the 80th anniversary of the Schomburg Center is an appropriate context in which to remind ourselves of the extraordinary impact he had on African Americans, the United States, and the world in the 20th century.”

The impact of Malcolm X: A Search for Truth will be wide-reaching in that many of the items presented may challenge what has previously been thought about Malcolm X. African and Middle East journeys can now be traced with more accuracy than previously possible through his travel journals which reveal locations, leaders and other individuals he met with, along with his feelings and thoughts about his experiences. Correspondence gives rare insight into his personality, especially the verbal and mental acuity and expressiveness that were present from childhood and continued to develop as he became a man and, later, a leader. Writings and annotations reveal his thought processes as he worked through his philosophy and strategies to struggle for social change. The exhibition is a pictorial journey through the life of Malcolm X, drawing on his own collection, as well as the work of world-renowned photographers, including Robert L. Haggins, Richard Saunders and Laurence Henry who documented his travels throughout the United States and abroad.

Malcolm X: A Search for Truth is funded in part by Altria Group, Inc., J. P. Morgan Chase Foundation, Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation, Inc., Beverly Stewart, Cora T. Walker, and the City of New York.

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a research unit of The New York Public Library, is generally recognized as one of the leading institutions of it’s kind in the world. A cultural center as well as a repository, this Harlem-based modern research library also sponsors a wide array of interpretive programs, including exhibitions, scholarly and public forums, and cultural performances. For nearly eighty years The Schomburg Center has collected, preserved, and provided access to materials documenting black life, and promoted the study and interpretation of black history and culture.

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