9781422277799

C H A P T E R 1 THE CITIES ARE BURNING O n the afternoon of May 21, 1964, nearly 60 newspaper reporters crowded into the VIP lounge at Kennedy International Airport on the outskirts of New York City, anxiously awaiting the arrival of militant black leader Malcolm X. The journalists, most of whom were white and worked for the major New York newspapers, were worried about their approaching deadlines. Yet all of the reporters preferred to risk being late with their copy than leave without hearing what Malcolm X had to say upon his return from a tour of Africa and the Middle East. The 39-year-old civil rights activist had been away from the United States for only five weeks, but during his brief absence racial relations had become even more strained. Many blacks were voicing their anger over how little progress had been made on the issue of civil rights. Many whites strongly opposed the few social reforms that were instituted to bring about greater racial equality. Police and local black leaders had predicted that mounting racial tensions would lead to a summer of violence in the black ghettos of several major American cities.

CH A P T E R 1 : T H E C I T I E S A R E B u R N I NG

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