Historical Travels: Malcom X Ellan-Little Collins House

Background

For a while now, my goal has been to travel and blog about all the historical locations and haunts we've been to. Rosanne and I see a lot of places, and I always thought what better way to capture these trips but through a travel journal or blog. To kick things off, I'm going to talk about my little excursion today to the Malcolm X Ella Collins-Little House.



Most recent read has been Malcom X: A Live Reinvented, by Manning Marable, which recounts the life of (obviously) Malcolm X. Malcolm X was a man of many faces and places. He was born in Nebraska, moved to Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, and along way spent some time in our dearest Boston. One of the themes of this tome is that the genius of Malcolm X was his ability to constantly reinvent himself, adapting to his situations in life and audiences. To make an underestimate, Malcolm X made a critical impact on American culture, with a great number of black Americans in the 60s, and resonating throughout all segments of our society since then. In trying to understand a bit more about this great American leader, today I made the journey to Roxbury, a neighborhood of Boston, which is close to our home in Dedham.

To give you some background, Malcolm X spent his early adult years on 72 Dale Street, Roxbury living with his half-sister Ella Collins-Little. There are better sources to read about his life rather this post, but these years are referred to by some as Malcolm's Detroit Red years. The name referred to the red in young Malcolm's hair, and also his time spent living in Michigan. His time in Roxbury was characterized by his coming of age as a young man (never having spent significant time in a city), and also time spent time learning the culture of the streets.


Let's hit the road!

About early afternoon I actually made the decision to head out. I hopped on the computer and starting searching for his address. Where was it? How could I find it? I did some simple searches like 'Malcom X Roxbury MA Home' and on my second hit I found his address: 72 Dale Street. After I got some food in my stomach, I entered my address in my smart phone, and I got some directions. It was more or less straight down Washington Street, and take a left. How easy?



I hit the road, and it's pretty easy going. The sun is out, and the traffic is moderate. I drive through Roslindale, and then I go through Jamaica Plain. Along the way, I drive by an old club I used to play at, The Midway. Everything looks the same, except again the weather is finally nice out. There's always a bit of grey to this area -- slightly industrial, not really bursting with color. While we usually terminate in J.P., this time I keep on going past to my new destination today.

Eventually, Washington Street takes you in Roxbury without any real official notice. There is no sign saying "WELCOME TO ROXBURY!" Roxbury is primarily an African-American community, so you do see more non-whites. I keep on driving, and pretty quickly I see Dale Street.

Once you take a left on Dale Street, you see Malcolm X park (it predates Malcolm as it was designed by Olmstead), and you start to see plenty of late 19th-century houses. If you're into Victorians, with their spirals and pretty detailing you will be pleased. Considering the degree of urban renewal in our cities, I was actually surprised this street was pretty much untouched. Anyway, pretty quickly I see 85 Dale Street, and before you know it, I drive by 72 Dale. Oops. I hit an intersection (that's fairly busy), take a quick left, and park my car, and plan to just walk over.

I lock up my car, and I notice subconsciously notice "this isn't my neighborhood." It's fine, and I feel safe, but all my time living in pretty white suburbs rears its ugly head by a slight pang of feeling like I stick out. I keep walking, and I head over to the house. Once I get there, I see it:



As my wife noted, you would never really know it's an historical house. The house blends in, almost too well. It's actually one of the least maintained houses, as it's been unoccupied for a very long time. I stand there, take a photo, and I think about taking more photos, but I hesitate as this is still a real residential neighborhood. There is a marker, indicating the importance of the house, but that is really about it. I imagine young Malcolm X in the house, what sort of people may have lived there after. In some ways, you can imagine what it could have been like a bit, as the neighborhood has not really been all that gentrified. I keep walking in a weak attempt at imaging what young Malcolm X would have experienced walking around his neighborhood. I walk down the street, and eventually hit Warren Street. This street is a major thoroughfare, and I see a McDonald's and your typical shopping options. There are a few people walking around, but this is about it.

I get back in my car, take some audio notes to capture my immediate thoughts, and I head back.

Round Up

I enjoyed my trip today. If you're into visiting places with some historical background, check it out. This is clearly not a house-museum, as there is nothing really to see other than the house, but this is a clear reminder, that our historical figures lived like normal people even being major cultural icons. A lot of house museums put a gloss, a shininess to what might have been. Sometimes, these places may look too good. 72 Dale Street is actually worse off today (check out this PDF of the house -- there's a great photo in this document), but it actually underscores the realness of the neighborhoods and locals about the folks we read about it.