With Alphonso
Makell - one of my first American friends back from when he and his
gangster friends tried to rob me in Baltimore's East ghetto in 1971.
From then on our friendship grew and in the 1980's he was one of my most
devoted street sellers of my book which I let the homeless sell for me
in the major cities. He often came with me to speak in colleges. In
Loyola College he made his most emotional speech ever and got 5 minutes
standing ovation from the 600 students. In 1990 he appeared in a Danish
Tv-movie. You can
see him here.
After that I lost touch with for 10 years - even his
children thought he had died from aids. But after an intense search with
Rikke through the worst areas of the ghetto I found him on my birthday -
the best birthday gift I ever had.
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