Civil Right Diary

Civil Rights Moments Diary

Antonette Brown

HIS/145

March 21st,2012

Amy Champ

February 21, 1965

Dear Diary,

This afternoon I went to the Audubon Ballroom to hear the great Malcolm X speak.

When I got to the ballroom things was different there was protesters or police. Any other time

Malcolm X meeting in the heart of Harlem had police everywhere. As usual I was with my

boyfriend who followed every step of Malcolm, he believed that things needed to change and

Malcolm stood for that and he’s what this country needed. Hand and hand we walk into the

meeting room, and again I didn’t see any more police. We went to take our seats next a woman

and her son who I think was no older than 7. As I sat down I glanced over to where I normally

sat and saw a big black man with a navy blue trench coat. I took my focus off the man when the

crowd became quiet and listened to Benjamin X introduce Malcolm X. When Malcolm walked

up to the microphone he gave the normal Muslim greeting for peace. Right at that moment two

black Muslims who I’ve seen before were standing about halfway back in the room to the right

of the stage where Malcolm was standing. Get your hands out of your pocket! One of the me

yelled. Malcolm and others was trying to get everyone to calm down specially the women and

children who start crying. The little boy who was sitting next to me with his mother had his head

buried in his mother’s dress. Sunny (boyfriend) stood in front of me telling me to stay back and

don’t move. Suddenly I heard gunshots everyone including myself drop to the floor in fear of

being hit. I had no clue what was happening who was shooting why they was they shooting and

if anyone had been hurt. I grabbed onto Sunny holding him tight with tears running down my

eyes in fear. I’ve been thru many things in my 19 years of living, but this experience had me

shaking up. “It’s okay baby, momma is here.” Outside of my own cries I heard the woman who

was sitting next to us now on the floor with her own tears in her eyes trying to calm the little boy

down. I felt hurt for the little boy because at young innocent age he experienced

something no child his age should. When the gun shots were done I looked up

I saw Malcolm X standing up and looking down at a man. At that point from the corner of my

eye I saw a flash from the same man that Malcolm was just looking down at. I watched Malcolm

fall down and died before my eyes. I see mouths move but, no sounds. My body went numb. I

couldn’t breathe let alone scream for our slain leader. In that brief second I had no life my life

was taking from me when Malcolm X life was taken from him. This is a man who believe in the

rights of us blacks. He wanted to show the crimes that white people in America were doing

against blacks. He believed in unity. He once said, “I am for whoever and whatever benefits

humanity as a whole.” I snapped out of the trans I was in and heard “Everyone get out!” Men,

women, and children were running towards the big double doors that would lead them to the

outside. My feet felt like they were glued to the floor because I couldn’t move. I was still in

shock about what I just witnessed. Sunny grabbed my arm and pulled me off the floor and told

me to run. I guess I wasn’t moving fast enough for him because this time he yanked my arm with

force and pulled me with him as he was running in the same direction everyone else was. Outside

people were talking, crying, shouting, pacing back forth wondering what happened. Police

rushed into Audubon Ballroom. Minutes later we all watched Malcolm being wheeled on a

stretcher by the police. Tears poured down our faces as we knew he was dead. It took me a

moment to realize how relevant he was like Dr. Martin Luther King. Malcolm X was one of my

hero’s. He was the most honest black leaders that I have ever known or seen. From this day on I

will honor his memory and cherish the work he has done for the black community.