Malcolm X speaking with students and teachers at Queens College

Malcolm X's 1960 speech at Queens College, sponsored by the NAACP, reflected his turn toward increased engagement with white audiences. As a member of the Nation of Islam at the time, the black liberation leader echoed its position in his speech for a "nation within a nation" as an alternative to racial integration. This photograph also shows the Queens resident's interest in equal educational opportunities for African Americans, which he remained a committed activist for after he left the Nation of Islam in 1964.

Image info: Lloyd Yearwood, May 5, 1960.

CREDIT: Museum of the City of New York, Museum Purchase, 2018.11.1