I still remember when Harlem'sTemple #7 was burned right after Malcolm was assasinated. Us kids could still see it smoldering that morning in the cold. The older folks on the corner kept saying it was because of Malcolm being killed. We watched the red faced firemen roll up hoses to be put back onto fire trucks, White policemen barking at the crowds that " it was nothing else to see and for us to move it"!

As a young boy my father used to take me past that temple on the corner of 116th street and lenox ave. he worked on 116th street at a furniture store called J horn. I remember the big man called Malcolm, he would be in front of the resturant there or he would be on lenox ave talking to the people. We never really stopped, i was always wisked away from the crowd but i aways remember hearing the african drums for some reason. I would later come to know malcolm and what he ment to his people many years later after he was dead.

One thing though that I did do was to meet Betty Shabazz at Radio City Music Hall. It was during intermission and I saw her and went to her to offer my hand, two body guards automatically came to intercept me, she was with Conrad Muhammad the minister of the Farrakhan mousqe in harlem. They eased up some and let me extend my hand to her and I said something like its an honnor to meet you. She looked at me like boy you know you should have better manners than that! But then she reached out and gentley shook my hand and said thank you, that to me was great and it's something I never forgot.