Malcolm X: The Grove Street Connection
Malcolm X was a leading Black Muslim minister known for his militant approach to the Civil Rights movement. While one might not immediately associate him with Greenwich Village, some pivotal events in the neighborhood were instrumental in shaping his legacy.
Born on May 19, 1925, Malcolm Little joined the Nation of Islam in prison following a tumultuous childhood, which is where he adopted the surname “X” to symbolize his unknown African ancestry. At the height of Malcolm X’s popularity in the early 1960s, writer Alex Haley rented a studio at 92 Grove Street, just off Sheridan Square. Over the course of two years at this location, from 1963-1965, Haley conducted over 50 interviews with Malcolm X.
Malcolm X had already been interviewed by Haley for magazine profiles, but these interviews were to tell his life story for a book. Haley’s groundbreaking first book, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, was released on October 29, 1965, seven months after his assassination on February 21, 1965 at the Audubon Ballroom in Upper Manhattan. This book played a huge role in forming the legacy and perceptions of Malcolm X.
In the words of Alex Haley describing the process to negotiate the historical interviews in Greenwich Village:
“Another letter was dictated, this one an agreement between him and me: “Nothing can be in this book’s manuscript that I didn’t say, and nothing can be left out that I want in it.”
In turn, I asked Malcolm X to sign for me a personal pledge that however busy he was, he would give me a priority quota of his time for the planned 100,000-word “as told to” book which would detail his entire life. And months later, in a time of strain between us, I asked for—and he gave—his permission that at the end of the book I could write comments of my own about him which would not be subject to his review.
Malcolm X promptly did begin to pay me two- and three-hour visits, parking his blue Oldsmobile outside the working studio I then had in Greenwich Village. He always arrived around nine or ten at night carrying his flat tan leather briefcase which along with his scholarly look gave him a resemblance to a hardworking lawyer. Inevitably, he was tired after his long busy day, and sometimes he was clearly exhausted.
We got off to a very poor start.”
In May of 2019, Village Preservation placed a plaque on 92 Grove Street, memorializing Alex Haley’s time there. In attendance at this event were Haley’s niece and Malcolm X’s daughter. See photos here and watch videos here.
Grove Press
The Autobiography of Malcolm X was released by Grove Press. Founded in 1947 on Grove Street in the West Village, it rose to prominence after it was purchased by Barney Rossett in 1951. After moving the company into the area south of Union Square, he helped transform American culture and how we experience issues of censorship, sexuality, race, and class. In 1964, Grove Press moved to 80 University Place, where it expanded to 85,000 square feet and published the Autobiography of Malcolm X.
Click to explore our South of Union Square Grove Press Tour.
More Civil Rights History at 92 Grove Street
In an interesting twist of history, the address 92 Grove Street also played a role during the 1863 Draft Riots, the largest civil insurrection in American history. Over several days, hundreds of African Americans were killed and thousands more were attacked and terrorized throughout New York City. 92 Grove Street was located just on the edge of what was then known as “Little Africa,” the largest African American community in New York.
The home at 92 Grove Street was just a few doors down from the Abyssinian Baptist Church, one of the largest African American churches at the time. The homeowners provided refuge from the rampaging mobs during the riots. This house was demolished in 1916 and replaced with the apartment building which remains there today, where one hundred years later, writer Alex Haley met with Malcolm X and wrote The Autobiography of Malcolm X.