Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - Alston ya girma a cikin garin Plainfield, New Jersey, wanda ya bayyana a matsayin, a wancan lokacin, "Niggertown tare da duk al'adu da al'adun wariyar launin fata, nuna bambancin jinsi da rashin ƙarfi". Alston yana da shekaru 11 a lokacin da aka kashe Malcolm X kuma yana da shekaru 13 a lokacin tashin hankali na Newark na 1967
, abubuwan da suka faru a kusa da garinsu na Plainfield. A cikin wata hira ta 2010, Alston ya ce bai tuna da mutuwar Malcolm X a 1965 ba, amma ya fara fahimtar mahimmancin gadon Malcolm yayin da tawaye suka faru a duk faɗin Amurka a 1967. Alston ya bayyana tasirin ganin kwafin babban dan uwansa na tarihin rayuwar Malcolm X tare da taken "tsohon dillali, hustler, ɓarawo, wanda ya zama shugaban juyin juya halin baƙar fata", wanda ya nuna masa cewa "mutanen da suka fito daga irin wannan yanayin na iya taka rawar gani a cikin gwagwarmaya". Ya kuma tuna yadda ganin tawayen Plainfield na 1967 ya ba shi "hoto na baƙar fata maza da mata a cikin rawar gwarzo a cikin al'ummarmu suna rushe duk tatsuniyoyi game da mu 'baƙar fata,' duk waɗannan abubuwan".