Malcolm X takes Ali’s photo. 

PHOTO COURTESY OF HISTORIC HAMPTON HOUSE

MIAMI – The image of one of the nation’s seminal civil rights leaders aiming a camera on “the greatest” boxer the world has ever loved evokes nostalgic emotions and a desire to have been a “fly on the wall” at the Historic Hampton House when the precious shot was snapped. The black and white photo includes several men surrounding a counter while Muhammad Ali flashes his signature smile towards Malcolm X’s camera.

This photo and others like it will be on display when the Historic Hampton House presents an exhibit on April 28 at 6:30 p.m. chronicling key moments in time at the Brownsville venue once frequented by some of the most famous celebrities of the day.

“Those of us with a little age on us remember the good times inside the doors of the Hampton House Motel, featuring luxurious accommodations with valet parking, 24-hour food service, a banquet hall, and a jazz club where all colors of people congregated to hear the best performers of the day,” Historic Hampton House president, Enid Pinkney says in her welcoming statement on the organization’s website. “And not only was the jazz great, the Hampton House was important historically. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and Muhammad Ali were frequent guests and the Miami chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) had its weekly meetings there.”

The exhibit, “The Social Center of the South: The Past and Present of the Historic Hampton,” house tells the story of the Hampton House from its heyday in the 1950s and 60s to its rebirth over 40 years later as a community cultural center. The exhibit was produced by participants of the Historic Hampton House’s new music and history mentorship program, the Brownsville Unity Music Project. The exhibit is sponsored by Florida International University, The Children’s Trust, James S. and John L. Knight Foundation, and the state of Florida, Department of State, Division of Historical Resources.

For more information, call 305-638-5800 or email info@historichamptonhouse.org. The Historic Hampton House is located at 4240 NW 27th Avenue, Miami.