photo of City Councilmen Hilton Clark and Rev. Wendell Foster and the renaming of Lenox Avenue into Malcolm X Boulevard

photo of City Councilmen Hilton Clark and Rev. Wendell Foster and the renaming of Lenox Avenue into Malcolm X Boulevard

This is a 1987 photo of Columbia CORE member Hilton Clark (sitting, Black male, dark suit, glasses) as a NYC city councilman. Sitting next to him is city councilman Rev. Wendell Foster (New York CORE) on his right and Mayor Ed Koch on his left. Koch is signing the law which renamed parts of Lenox Avenue into Malcolm X Boulevard. Next to Koch is Dr. Betty Shabazz, Malcolm X’s widow. It was Clark who was responsible for introducing the legislation for the renaming to the city council. Foster originally came out of New York CORE.

When Clark returned to NYC after his time in the Army, he became worked on a campaign for Charlie Rangel and became involved in with local politics. Clark organized it the Malcolm X Club of Independent Democrats and ran with Harlem CORE’s Elaine Parker for in 1971 for district leader in the 74th assembly district, a seat formerly held by Adam Clayton Powell. They lost, but Clark eventually won in 1979 as district leader of part A of the 71st assembly district. He served as city councilman in 1989-1990.

Jet Jun 1, 1987

Jet Magazine

New York City, 1987