From the Vault: Malcolm X - A Retrospective

“The future belongs to those
who prepare for it today.”
~Malcolm X

This week on From the Vault, Pacifica Radio Archives proudly revisits the historic 1965 documentary and radio broadcast, Malcolm X: A Retrospective.

At a time when he was more likely to appear on the FBI’s most wanted list than on a commemorative stamp, this succinct documentary of Malcolm X’s impact on Black Power and Black Muslim Movement from 1960 to his death in 1965 was like a shot of adrenaline to Pacifica radio listeners around the country. Crafted by legendary producer Chris Koch and originally broadcast on Pacifica’s WBAI on March 30, 1965 - barely a month after Malcolm X’s assassination - this recording’s magical ’sound’ ranks among the most coveted in Pacifica’s collection… yet another classic example of the depth of legacy preserved within the Pacifica Radio Archives. Forty years after it’s genesis, Malcolm X: A Retrospective had surfaced once again in our awareness, revealing actual voices of history: voices speaking as global witnesses, voices speaking for themselves, and voices speaking directly to you.

From the Vault is presented as part of the Pacifica Radio Archives Preservation and Access Project.