May 2, 2025
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION
AframNews.com
Vol.30, Issue 15
FREE
African-American News&Issues
“Addressing Current & Historical Realities Affecting Our Community”
MALCOLM X LETTER SELLS FOR $11,344
ERASING BACK HISTORY B y: Roy Douglas Malonson
In classrooms across America, a quiet war is raging—a battle not fought with weapons, but with erasers, red pens, and legislative bills. They call it “progress,” “curriculum reform,” and “education standards.” We call it what it is: erasure. Erasure of Black history. Erasure of truth. Erasure of the struggles and contributions of generations who built this country with blood, brilliance, and perseverance. Across multiple states, newly passed laws are restricting the teaching of topics deemed “divisive,” “uncomfortable,” or “politically motivated.” In effect, these measures target discussions about systemic
racism, the civil rights movement, slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and modern racial justice movements. Educators are being silenced, textbooks are being sanitized, and students are being robbed of the full truth of America’s past and present. The erasure is not accidental. It is strategic. By controlling what future generations learn, the architects of these policies hope to control what future generations believe. If young people are not taught about the horrors of slavery, the resilience of the civil rights movement, or the ongoing fight against systemic racHistory on pg. 3
An important typed letter signed by Malcolm X, penned just days after his controversial “chickens coming home to roost” comments regarding President John F. Kennedy’s assassination sold for $11,344 by Nate D. Sanders Auctions on Thursday evening. Dated December 11, 1963, the letter provides remarkable insight into Malcolm X’s mindset following the public outcry and his subsequent 90-day suspension from public speaking by Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad. Written on his personal Malik Shabazz Islamic stationery, Malcolm X responds to an encouraging letter to Gloria Owens- Maceo X Owens’ sister. Maceo X. Owens was the secretary at Muhammad’s Mosque No. 7 in Harlem where Malcolm X preached alongside Louis Farrakhan. In the letter, he directly addresses his situation: “I am still the Minister of Muhammad’s Mosque but my speaking and public appearances have been curtailed ‘suspended’ for an indefinite period. I have kept a very fast pace and this is the only way I could ever get any rest.” He further employs a powerful metaphor, referencing his suspension and unwavering conviction: “The only way to stop a rooster from crowing is to stop the sun from rising. When the rooster sees the light by nature it is time for him to crow. Once we know who the devil is, it is difficult to keep all that light to ourselves. We just have to AA crow.” Bidding for the letter began at $7,500.