dinners and other seated events was about 200 people. but that sunday, february 21st, 1965, there were double that number of people crowded into that room, a packed audience, 400 people in the room, all there to hear one of the towering and most controversial figures in american civil rights history. malcolm x had been the face and the world-famous voice of the nation of islam since not long after he joined the nation of islam in the early 1950s. but after more than a decade as a lightning rod in that specific cause, he had made an acrimonious split from the group. he had split from the nation of islam the year before he took the stage in that crowded ballroom in harlem in february 1965, but that day his wife was there to watch his speech. she was pregnant at the time with what would turn out to be their sixth daughter. three of their little girls were there that day too with their mom ready to watch their father speak, and as he took the stage and began to speak the assassin
packed audience of 400 people in that room. all there to hear one of the towering and most controversial figures in american civil rights history. malcolm x had been the face and the world famous voice of the nation of islam since long after he joined the nation of islam in the early 1950 s. but after more than a decade as a lightning rod in that specific cause, he had make an acrimonious split from the group. he had split from the nation of islam the year before he took the stage in that crowded ballroom in harlem in february 1965. that day, his wife was there to watch his speech. she was pregnant at the time with what would turn up to turn one out to be their six daughter. three of their little girls were there that they, with their mom, ready to watch their father speak. and as he took the stage, and began to speak, the assassination plot against him beginning to unfold. someone shouted from one part of the ballroom. someone threw something, a make smoke bomb of some kind
with a .45 caliber pistol, they followed up the initial shooting. malcolm x was on the ground, laid out by the blast from the shotgun, and the two men stood over him, the two men with pistols stood over him and fired multiple shots into his prone body. malcolm x was 39 years old. his daughters and his wife were there in person close up to see him murdered. and, of course, chaos broke out in the crowded ballroom. one of the gunmen, the one with the .45 caliber pistol, he got caught. he was shot in the leg as he tried to run from the scene by one of malcolm x s body guards. we believe is who shot him. but he was shot in the thigh, and that brought him down and then people grabbed him. he had dropped or thrown away the .45 caliber pistol that he had used in the shooting, but somebody else recovered it at the scene outside the ballroom and handed it over. he was found with .45 caliber ammunition on him in his pants pocket. he was so he was caught that day. one of the three gunm
that s it. new ball. shots are 2-2. got by him. comes back with it! you try to put your entire being mentally and physically on automatic pilot while you re playing tennis. everything is concentrated on the razor s edge and you forget the score. you forget where you are. you forget what your name is. i feel like my body s floating within myself. the game of tennis is a symphony in white. players in white suits hitting a white ball back and fort. in all white country clubs but a new, young player has come along and he is one of the greatest we have ever produced and he is not white. i sense confusion in what an athlete should be, especially an african american context. does still persist in the world about black athletes because we tend to do disproportionately well in athletes. i like to fight the myth. there are lots of us who can think as well as run, jump, hit tennis balls, dunk basketballs. and the challenge now is to convince young black athletes that the
that s it. [ applause ] 2-2. comes back with it! you try to put your entire being mentally and physically on automatic pilot while you re playing tennis. everything is concentrated on the razor s edge and you forget the score. you forget where you are. you forget what your name is. i feel like my body s floating within myself. the game of tennis is a symphony in white. players in white suits hitting a white ball back and forth between white baselines in all-white country clubs. but a new young player has come along and he is one of the greatest we have ever produced, and he is not white. i sense confusion in what an athlete should be, especially in an african american context. there does still persist in the world myths about black athletes because we tend to do disproportionately well in athletics. some people think we are all brawn and no brains. and i like to fight the myth. there are lots of us who can think as well as run, jump, hit tennis balls, dunk basketb