Adger Cowans, Malcolm Speaks, c. 1960-65

Adger Cowans: I was taking pictures of Malcolm X in Harlem at that time. This is 1963, I think. And I just went up on the top of the building and looked down.

Narrator: Adger Cowans.

Adger Cowans: I saw, oh man, this is to show how many people were there. Because the news media, they always said Malcolm’s talking and you know he’s starting trouble, etcetera, etcetera. But they never show the amount of people that were there listening to Malcolm.

Not only was Malcolm a warrior, he was a father, and a husband, and a very sensitive man. He had knowledge and that was what they were afraid of. And that’s why I think, all, all of our heroes are always killed when they get to the point where they’re imparting the most important information to the people. And that is: your destiny, you decide, not somebody else. You get in touch with who you are and you don’t have time to argue and fight about somebody else, or gossip on somebody else or criticize or be angry.

And if more people would do that we’d have a better world I think.