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Rare Handwritten Postcards by Malcolm X to be Auctioned Off

Posted byBy Tanasia Kenney | Published on: CommentsComments (0)
Image courtesy of Nate D. Sanders/REX/Shutterstock

Image courtesy of Nate D. Sanders/REX/Shutterstock

A set of 16 handwritten postcards by civil rights activist Malcolm X will go to the highest bidder at a Los Angeles auction house this month.

The entire collection of rare postcards will be up for auction Aug. 25 by Nate D. Sanders Auctions, the Huffington Post reports. Each of the letters, written in 1957, 1958 and 1964, offer a glimpse into the life of the outspoken activist as he traveled throughout the U.S., West Africa and the Middle East. The messages are also a display of how his militant political views softened over time.

“Greetings from sunny California,” X wrote to Gloria Owens, sister of Maceo X Owens. “The dead are really stirring in this section of the graveyard.”

The flip side of the card features a beautiful, sandy beach in the Golden State. Dated in November 1957, it is presumed this message was written when X still harbored strong beliefs in Black separatism and self-reliance. 

Another postcard sent from “sunny Florida” displays an image of the stereotypical “mammy” and her son praying at bedtime.

He also sent a message that read, “Greetings from the Deep South…from the cotton fields to the orange groves, Islam is on the move.”

Following his exit from the Nation of Islam, X took a pilgrimage to Mecca and adopted a “purer” form of the religion. During this time, he also traveled to Kuwait, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Casablanca.

“Greetings from beautiful Kuwait,” the civil rights activist wrote in 1964. “Since I’ve seen what a mess can be made of things by narrow-minded people, I’m still traveling, trying to broaden my scope.”

X was ultimately shot and killed upon his return to the U.S. in February 1965.

According to the Daily Mail, each postcard is worth an estimated $2,000 to $2,500.

Image courtesy of Nate D. Sanders/REX/Shutterstock

Image courtesy of Nate D. Sanders/REX/Shutterstock

 

Image courtesy of Nate D. Sanders/REX/Shutterstock

Image courtesy of Nate D. Sanders/REX/Shutterstock

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