Written by Tarék | February 10, 2026
Thirty-four years ago, today, we lost a man to whom most would consider to be Black America’s greatest storyteller. Alex Haley.
Born Alexander Murray Palmer Haley on August 11, 1921 in Ithaca, NY. Which, at that time, had a population of circa 1065, according to the 1920 census records. Haley was the first-born son of three (George and Julius) and a half-brother to a sister (from his father’s second marriage). His father was Simon Alexander Haley, a professor of agriculture. His mother was Bertha George (née Palmer) Haley, a grade school teacher.
Haley spent his childhood years in Henning, TN (where his mother was raised). By age 15 he would graduate H.S. and transition to college for two years. Come 1939 he did what most young men did in that time, he enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard. While at sea, he began writing short stories. Stemming from an educated household, reading was one pastime he could never steer away from. Its unfortunate that it would take nearly a decade before any magazine would publish his stories. In 1952, the Coast Guard created a new title for Haley, chief journalist. He began with handling public relations for the U.S. Coast Guard.
After completing twenty years of military service, he retired from the Coast Guard and moved into a new venture, freelance writing. Haley’s starter assignment was writing for Reader’s Digest and then moving on to launching the Playboy Interviews feature, becoming the magazine’s first interviewer when it debuted in 1962, just nine years post the magazine’s initial release. The interview series set a high standard for thoughtful, in-depth conversations.
One year later, Haley would begin down the path to become author to an extremely notable project. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. He focused on highlighting X’s life (personal, professional and spiritual). Including his ups and downs during the civil rights movement. These interviews took on various encounters with X over the course of several months. The final works were published in 1965, translated in eight languages, and sold more than six million copies.
Next, Haley would become inspired to work on a project hitting much closer to home. Drawing on the few oral family clues passed down by his maternal grandmother in Tennessee, Haley devoted twelve years to research spanning three continents, ultimately tracing his lineage to a Mandingo youth, Kunta Kinte, who was kidnapped from the village of Juffure in The Gambia, West Africa, and forced into slavery. Published in 1976, this book, known under the title “ROOTS The Saga of an American Family” was the #1 National Bestseller! The Most Highly Acclaimed Book of Our Time “Fascinating…Exhilarating…Spectacular!” said the Washington Post. In 1977 ROOTS would spawn a miniseries airing on ABC. In 1979, Roots: The Next Generations would also air on ABC. In 2016 History Channel released a reimagined version of the 1976 book.
In 1993 Heley publishes a new book similar to that of ROOTS. This project is titled QUEEN The Story of an American Family co-written by David Stevens. While ROOTS followed his mother\’s lineage, QUEEN follows his father’s lineage.
Before his demise, Alex Haley would publish a total of 5 books (3 being sagas). He earned a Pulitzer Prize Special Award for ROOTS, the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP, for his exhaustive research and literary skill combined in ROOTS, the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement. The food-service building at the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center, Petaluma, California, was named Haley Hall in his honor. All other awards and honors can be read under the Awards and recognition section of Alex Haley wiki page.
On Feb. 10, 1992 Alex Haley would depart this realm to rest peacefully in a higher plain. I imagine he is up there meeting new family and listening to their stories.
Sited: Alex Haley (1921-1992) < Black History | CBN.com | Simon Haley – Wikipedia | Alex Haley – Wikipedia | Alex Haley – Roots, Queen & Books | HISTORY | Coast Guard Veteran Alex Haley | Queen: The Story of an American Family – Wikipedia | Autobiography of Malcolm X. by Alex Haley (1964) First Edition
