Published on behalf of Callum Carr-Marquis, Head of Archives.
At the end of October 1963, activists and leaders of the Nation of Islam, Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X visited Flint to address a crowd of 2,500 at the Industrial Mutual Aid Auditorium, which was formerly located on the site of the William S. White building. The Nation of Islam is a religious, social, and political movement founded in the United States in 1930 by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad. It blends elements of traditional Islam with Black nationalist ideas and a focus on the upliftment and empowerment of African Americans.
Infamously, the meeting ended early when members of the Flint Police Department arrived. Although they claimed to be only observers, they openly carried weapons with them and refused to leave the guns out of the meeting at Muhammad's request. Elijah Muhammad closed the meeting early as a result, leading Malcolm X to note that nothing like this had ever happened at other meetings held across the United States.
Little was left from the 1963 event, except for a handful of news articles, until earlier this year. Comma Bookstore owner, community organizer, UM-Flint alum, and Wayne State archives master's student Egypt Otis discovered a recorded copy of the three-hour event in a Detroit basement. Egypt was able to restore the deteriorating recording and painstakingly digitize it with the assistance of Wayne State University.
Egypt is well known in Flint for her activism and her community building. She had this to say about her discovery.
“Documenting black radical history in Flint is important to me because our community is often excluded from broader conversations about revolutionary movements and activism in the United States. When people discuss significant efforts for social change, civil rights, and Black liberation, Flint’s contributions are frequently overlooked, leading to a revisionist historical narrative that suggests Flint has not played a role in these transformative movements. Flint does have a rich legacy of radical activism. For example, Flint was home to the Black Panther Party’s local chapter in the late 1960s and 1970s, which organized community programs and advocated for racial justice. The restoration of the Malcolm X reel, a historical audio recording of Malcolm X’s visit to Flint, serves as a powerful counterpoint to the misconception that Flint was not involved in radical movements. Restoring and sharing this recording helps reclaim Flint’s place in the narrative of Black radical history and ensures that future generations recognize the city’s vital contributions to revolutionary activism.”
The recording is currently unavailable online due to ongoing legal reasons; it can only be accessed and listened to in the GHCC reading room. Reading room hours are 12:00-5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, with appointments available in the morning. Please contact archivist Callum Carr-Marquis for more information.
University of Michigan-Flint
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