A historic typed and hand-signed letter from Malcolm X, addressing the backlash he faced for his controversial remarks on JFK’s assassination, sold at an auction for $11,344.
The April 24 auction by Nate D. Sanders Auctions saw bidding for the letter begin at $7,500 and close after three bids were made, according to the auction website. The piece of history, dated December 11, 1963, was crafted by Malcolm X just days after his controversial “chickens coming home to roost” remarks regarding President John F. Kennedy’s assassination that took place weeks prior.
Malcolm X was responding to Gloria Owens-Maceo X, the secretary at Elijah Muhammad’s Mosque No. 7 in Harlem, New York, where Malcolm X and Louis Farrakhan would preach. The letter, typed on his personal Malik Shabazz Islamic stationery, highlights Malcolm X’s response to the 90-day suspension from public speaking he received from Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad regarding his remarks about JFK.
“I am still the Minister of Muhammad’s Mosque, but my speaking and public appearances have been curtailed, ‘suspended’ for an indefinite period,” Malcolm X wrote. “Actually, this is for good because for 10 years I have kept a very fast pace, and this is the only way I could ever get any rest.”
He closed the letter with a striking metaphor, reflecting on his suspension and standing firm in his beliefs about JFK’s assassination.
“The only way to stop a rooster from crowing is to stop the sun from rising,” Malcolm X wrote. “When the rooster sees the light, by nature, it is time for him to crow. Once we know who the devil is, it is difficult to keep all that light to ourselves. We just have to crow.”
The revolutionary leader initially made the controversial remarks at a Nation of Islam rally in New York on December 1, 1963. During the speech, Malcolm X criticized America’s history of global violence and referred to JFK’s assassination as “a case of chickens coming home to roost.” Elijah Muhammad took issue with Malcolm X’s remarks after instructing him to remain silent, leading to Malcolm X’s 90-day suspension from speaking or engaging with the press.
RELATED CONTENT: Honey Beez Heartbreak: Boyfriend Charged With Capital Murder In Slaying Of Alabama State University Dancer
