Harlem Midnight Meeting: Malcolm X, Fidel Castro and the Roots of Global Liberation

When Malcolm X, National Minister of the Nation of Islam Nation of Islam opened the doors of the Hotel Theresa at exactly midnight on September 19 1960, he was welcoming Fidel Castro, the 34‑year‑old Prime Minister of Cuba Cuban Government. The convergence of two revolutionary icons in a Black‑owned Harlem landmark sparked a night that would echo across civil‑rights protests, anti‑colonial movements and today’s Palestinian solidarity campaigns.

Historical backdrop: decolonization and Black nationalism

By the late 1950s, the world was rippling with uprisings. Cuba’s 1959 revolution had toppled the U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista, ushering in a socialist state that promised land reform and racial equality. Across the Atlantic, African‑American leaders were wrestling with segregation, police brutality and the limits of non‑violent protest.

Harlem, already a cultural crucible, became a meeting point for international solidarity. The Hotel Theresa, a 14‑story, 200‑room establishment owned by Black entrepreneurs, was chosen as the base for Cuba’s delegation during the 15th Session of the United Nations General AssemblyNew York City (September 17‑26, 1960).

The midnight meeting at the Hotel Theresa

According to journalist and personal photographer Nesfield, the meeting "showed the kinship between certain Cuban people" and highlighted how "things had become better for the dark‑skinned Cubans under Castro than they had been under their predecessor Batista." At the stroke of twelve, a rain‑soaked crowd of roughly 2,000 Black New Yorkers gathered outside the hotel, chanting and waving placards that read “Revolution Is Our Right.” The New York Citizen‑Call reported that many in the crowd believed Castro might stay permanently because he had “found out, as most Negroes found out, the nasty ways the underdog was treated downtown.”

Inside, Malcolm X and Castro slipped into a private suite. While no full transcript exists, multiple journalists recalled a terse exchange: Castro praised the Nation of Islam’s emphasis on self‑reliance, and Malcolm X lauded Cuba’s land‑reform program as a template for Black land ownership in the United States.

One of the journalists, Rosemari Mealy, later wrote in her book Fidel & Malcolm X: Memories of a Meeting that the atmosphere was “charged not just with political ideology but with the palpable feeling that two oppressed peoples were finally shaking hands.”

Reactions across the city and beyond

The Harlem gathering was covered by newspapers ranging from the left‑leaning Daily Worker to the more conservative New York Sun. While most praised the symbolic alliance, some Cuban exile groups in Miami expressed alarm, fearing a deepening of U.S.‑Cuban tensions. Nesfield noted that “not all Cubans and Black Americans shared this affinity,” underscoring the complexity of diaspora politics even then.

Within weeks, the meeting was referenced in speeches at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and even cited in a 1961 report to the U.N. Security Council that linked civil‑rights struggles with anti‑colonial movements in Africa and the Caribbean.

Legacy and modern parallels: From Harlem to Gaza

Fast forward 65 years, and the echoes of that midnight rendezvous can be heard in contemporary debates over Palestine. On August 29 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a blanket visa denial for the entire Palestinian delegation to the United Nations, arguing it was “in our national security interests to hold the PLO and PA accountable.” Critics argued the move mirrored the same suppression tactics that the 1960 meeting sought to resist.

Activists today point to Gaza’s resistance as “a compass for those seeking to change the world,” much like the Cuban Revolution inspired Harlem’s freedom fighters. The symbolism of a Black‑owned hotel hosting a revolutionary leader has become a shorthand for cross‑racial, anti‑imperial solidarity.

Scholars such as Dr. Lila Ahmed of Columbia University argue that the 1960 Harlem meeting “served as a watershed moment that helped shape the conscience of generations of freedom fighters.” She notes that the narrative of two marginalized leaders collaborating continues to fuel contemporary movements, from Black Lives Matter to Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaigns.

What the future holds: New alliances and renewed activism

There are signs that the spirit of that midnight alliance is re‑emerging. In late 2025, a coalition of African‑American churches and Palestinian NGOs announced a joint fundraising tour, citing the 1960 meeting as their inspiration. Meanwhile, the United Nations has scheduled a special session in early 2026 to discuss “Historical Solidarity Movements and Their Impact on Modern Human‑Rights Law.”

Whether the next chapter will involve another Harlem hotel or a digital conference, the lesson remains: moments of genuine cross‑cultural solidarity can ripple through decades, reshaping the fight for self‑determination.

Key facts

• Midnight meeting: September 19 1960, Hotel Theresa, Harlem.
• Attendees: Malcolm X (Nation of Islam) and Fidel Castro (Prime Minister of Cuba).
• Audience: ~2,000 Black New Yorkers stood in the rain outside.
• Context: Part of Cuba’s delegation to the 15th UN General Assembly (Sept 17‑26, 1960).
• Modern link: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied visas to the Palestinian delegation on Aug 29 2025.