United Press International

“Addresses Harlem Rally,” United Press International, June 15, 1963

Original Type 1 Silver Gelatin Press Photograph — PSA Encapsulated & Certified

This powerful, razor-sharp original 1963 Type 1 silver gelatin photograph captures Malcolm X at the height of his rhetorical and political force, addressing a charged Harlem rally in support of civil rights activism unfolding in Birmingham, Alabama. Taken by a United Press International (UPI) news photographer on assignment and issued to newspapers the same month, this image documents Malcolm X during one of the most volatile years of the movement.

In this historic moment, Malcolm X stands before banks of microphones, hand raised in emphasis, delivering a blistering speech while an assistant holds a photograph of Black men killed during racial violence in Los Angeles (April 27, 1962). The tragic image he references had itself been taken after a riot outside the Black Muslim headquarters in LA—linking West Coast police brutality directly with the fight for justice in the South.

The verso press caption describes the scene as the Harlem rally stretched into two tense hours. As Malcolm finished speaking, violence broke out among onlookers, resulting in shattered storefront windows and police reinforcements being summoned. Two men were later arrested for “malicious mischief.” This photograph is not only a record of Malcolm X—it is a record of the explosive atmosphere of 1963, a turning point in American history just months before the March on Washington and a year before Malcolm’s split with the Nation of Islam.

Professionally authenticated and encapsulated by PSA, this example is a museum-grade artifact of the Civil Rights era—exceptionally scarce in this condition and carrying undeniable historical impact.