Profile: Malcolm X

     If you have never taken the opportunity to listen to Malcolm X engage in a debate or deliver a speech, I highly recommend you check out the various internet archives and spotify playlists dedicated to cataloging his orations. Few individuals in the twentieth century were more engaging, divisive, charming, and intellectual than he. Today, Malcolm X’s image has softened as a result of his status as a martyr of the Civil Rights movement and the mainstreaming of some of his ideals. For the casual dad historian, knowledge of Malcolm X is probably rather thin, maybe based on the 1992 film starring Denzel Washington, or known simply as the “violent” foil to Martin Luther King Jr’s peaceful movement. What every American should recognize is how uniquely controversial and impactful Malcolm X was in an era before social media. The Internet would have been jet fuel for Malcolm X, and yet despite his limited options, his rhetoric was able to break through in a big way.

Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little, one of seven children born to his parents. He first lived in Omaha, Nebraska, bouncing around to a variety of midwestern cities throughout his early years due to his father’s black nationalist activities often provoking conflict with local whites. His father was officially killed in a streetcar accident, but unofficially murdered at the hands of a white supremacist group. One can easily guess which story Malcom X maintained as the truth. Years later, Malcolm’s mother was committed to a mental institution after suffering what people at the time referred to as a “nervous breakdown”. This is a simplification of his early years, yet establishes that Malcolm’s childhood was one of tragedy and instability. As a young man, he spent time in Harlem and Boston, where he gained a reputation as a smooth talker and petty criminal. He eventually found himself imprisoned in 1946 for theft, needing money to fuel his drug addiction. 

His prison conversion to Islam at the hands of the Nation of Islam could fill an entire book, and does occupy a large section of his autobiography. We are not here to debate the merits of the Nation as an organization, as for our purposes it is very clear Malcom X found extreme value in its teachings and practices. Yes, to many looking back through a historian’s lens, the Nation of Islam was a cult that manipulated its followers for the benefit of its founder Elijah Muhammed. Much of Malcolm X’s most stirring words were delivered sandwiched between adulations of the “Honorable Elijah Muhammad”. Listening today, one can almost feel sorry for Malcolm X, believing his devotion to be naivete. However, the Nation of Islam provided for black communities in northern cities something that was strongly desired: community. The Nation looked out for its practitioners, instilled a sense of pride in being black, and was willing to release provocative statements about race relations in the United States that resonated. It is no wonder Malcolm X contributed so heavily to their cause and spent most of his public life as a defender of the group. However, by 1964 Malcolm X had fallen out with the organization and was truly unshackled, leading to the birth of his own movement. 

In arguably his most prolific speech, Malcolm X detailed his philosophy of Black nationalism to crowds in Cleveland and Detroit. “The Ballot or the Bullet” speech outlined his Black nationalism philosophy, woven together with hard truths, inflammatory rhetoric, jokes, jabs, and even borderline racist remarks. The speech does great justice to how complex Malcolm X was, and as a Black man in 1960s America, these statements were the very definition of provocative. Polling conducted by the New York Times in the fall of 1964 indicated that Malcolm X had 82% name recognition with white America (a feat only eclipsed by MLK and Adam Clayton Powell), yet enjoyed just a 2% approval rating within the same group. Inside the text of the speech, one can find statements that blasted the sit-in movement and called on Black Americans to “stop singing and start swinging.” He calls for politicians to take the Black community seriously, and for Black Americans to think carefully before they cast their votes in the “free” North. Violent rhetoric referencing the American revolution is married with pleas to resist the calls for integration echoing across the nation, standing up for a free and independent Black community. One can hear the words of Marcus Garvey, Booker T. Washington, and W.E.B DuBois repurposed to match the moment in 1964. As a white American in the 21st century I can appreciate his message for its place in history and empathize with Malcolm X in regards to the struggles he and Black Americans faced in that era. If I were a white American in 1964, I am almost certain I would have been horrified by what he had to say. I would like to think that I would have been on the “good” side of history, but it is all too likely I would not have been a part of the 2% of Americans mentioned above. I would have been a product of the time, hopefully at least receptive to the advocacy of figures like MLK and John Lewis who received more widespread support across racial lines. That is hard truth to reconcile with, because what Malcolm X preached in that moment has almost become bland and cliche in some ways today. The idea of having pride in one's race, particularly being Black, and seeking to further the cause of your own race feels entirely normal in the 2020s. Think about the recent push for patronizing Black owned businesses, celebrating Black artists, and  recognizing Black athletes. This mainstream movement would have been fringe at the time of Malcolm X, not inserted into television commercials and advertising campaigns as it is today. All of this is part of Malcolm X’s legacy, and it is well deserved. The conversation surrounding racial pride is important for all communities of people to have, particularly in a place like our multicultural country. However, losing sight of the radical nature of his arguments during the time they were written waters down  X’s legacy to slogans on a shirt featuring his portrait or a dorm room poster.