Summary

This chapter begins with Baldwin recalling the first time he met Malcolm X, when Malcolm attended a talk Baldwin was giving. He recalls, “I knew Malcolm only by legend, and this legend, since I was a Harlem street boy, I was sufficiently astute to distrust.” (29). In doing so, Baldwin calls attention to the differences present within the struggle for civil rights in America, and how class lines were powerful divisions even within the movement. After his talk, he was able to become better acquainted with Malcolm, and Baldwin provides a much more intimate glimpse into both Malcolm and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s evolving philosophies and personal beliefs during the years leading up to both of their murders.

Though he was not from the South, Baldwin was also a friend to Martin Luther King, Jr. and Medgar Evers, both of whom were leaders...