Trippin’ on X

Young Malcolm:

Malcolm Little was born on May 19, 1925 and he died as Malcolm X on February 21, 1965. Injustice serves as the bookends on either side of Malcolm’s life. From Omaha, Nebraska to Mecca, Saudi Arabia back to Harlem, New York Malcolm traveled and it seemed that trials and tribulation followed him. As we have remembered Black History Month thus far, Garveyism, militant, and non-violent groups have been reviewed. Malcolm comes from another strata of the multifaceted push towards racial equality in the twentieth century United States. His life was so full of adventure, faith, disappointment and unfairness, it’s expected that people still trip off Malcolm X.

Raised by a Baptist minister and black liberator Earl Little, Malcolm was exposed to the fight for black freedom at a young age. Because his father was outspoken and supported the work of Marcus Garvey, the Little family became a target of Omaha’s KKK. Early run-ins with the KKK include the burning of Malcolm’s home in 1929 and the death of his father Earl which was called an accident by the authorities. Earl Little’s body was found along the trolley tracks which could hardly be considered an accident. Shortly after, Malcolm’s mother suffered a mental breakdown and was hospitalized leaving her eight children to be cared for by several different foster families. The KKK successfully destroyed Malcolm’s family and to a young and angry mind, that could have been taken to mean that white men destroyed his family. Malcolm would spend the greater part of his life evening up these odds.

Needless to say, Malcolm was dealt a tough hand and was left to be his own wild card. Luckily for Malcolm, he was talented and intelligent enough to be his own best resource. Discouraged by the words of a favorite teacher after junior high school, Malcolm exchanged schooling for the rules of the streets. At the age of 17, Malcolm was involved in gambling, drug dealing, and prostitution rings in Boston, MA. At 21, Malcolm was sentenced to prison for 10 years on a burglary charge. The prison walls left  a young Malcolm with nothing but time to think. In so doing, Malcolm picked up on knowledge where he left it some many years ago.

Nation of Islam:

While serving time behind bars, Malcolm was visited by his brother Reginald who had recently converted to the Nation of Islam. Turning to religion as a source of organization, spiritual fulfillment, and a way to economically and socially advance the black man, Malcolm became a follower of the Nation of Islam. After joining the Nation of Islam, Malcolm officially dropped his last name Little and opted for the “X” as a symbol of the disownment of his assimilated last name.

Understanding why Malcolm decided to join the Nation of Islam is not difficult. The NOI is not merely a religious group that follows a series of tenet beliefs and meets on church weekly. Rather, the Nation of Islam is a social and political organization that is dedicated to the enlightenment of its members. On the Day of American Independence in 1930, the Nation of Islam was founded by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad, who would later claim that he was the embodiment of the Christian Messiah, the Mahdi of Islam, and the Savior that the world’s religions were waiting on.

Although the Qur’an is studied by the Nation of Islam, the mainstream Muslims do not consider the NOI as a Muslim group. Rather, mainstream Muslims attest that NOI merely uses Islamic principles in their phraseology. The most fundamental difference between traditional Muslim culture and the Nation of Islam, lies in the basic premise that NOI followers believe that Wallace D. Fard was the embodiment of God. It is believed by traditional Muslims that God would never inhabit the body of a man, in fact, such an embodiment would be of the greatest dishonor to God or “Allah”.

During the conversion of Malcolm X, the Nation of Islam was run by Elijah Muhammad. Elijah Muhammad is said to have undergone intense spiritual training and enlightenment by Wallace D. Fard. The Nation of Islam may have appealed to Malcolm X at the time because of its insular nature and strong beliefs in black empowerment. Some criticize the NOI as being so insular that it is exclusionary in many ways. The NOI and Malcolm X have been accused of antisemitism. (The current leader of the NOI is Louis Farrakhan. He interviewed with Tim Russet on April 13, 1997 and spewed some particularly controversial statements about Jews and their role in the Holocaust. Farrakhan is known for his powerful speeches with incredibly strong racial content that will perk ears of anyone from any background. The Anti-Defamation League accused the Health Minister of the NOI of falsely stating that Jewish doctors inject black men with the AIDs virus.)

As Malcolm was raised to have black pride, the NOI was a suitable home for a powerful, fearless, and intelligent man. Perhaps the most fascinating part of the study of Black History Month is delving into the various paths traveled by each of the pioneers of the movement. Depending on each individuals orientation, respective paths were chosen accordingly.

Malcolm like Marcus Garvey, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Huey Newton, was an incredibly powerful speaker and followed by the FBI. Elijah Muhammad, then the leader of NOI recruited Malcolm as a foreman immediately. Malcolm’s influence was so vast, he is credited with swelling the membership of NOI from 500 people in 1952 to 30,000 in 1963. Not only was Malcolm a great speaker, Malcolm was a wordsmith and left his footprints on the sands of written word. The Autobiography of Malcolm X and By Any Means Necessary are amongst Malcolm’s more famous works.

As his workings with the NOI continued, Malcolm became the face of the movement. His popularity was so great that it overshadowed Elijah Muhammad. This popularity was one facet of the eventual bifurcation of Malcolm X with the NOI. Upon finding out that Elijah Muhammad was having numerous sexual relationships with other NOI women and fathering sons to them, Malcolm became reacquainted with an old emotion that stalked his young life, disappointment. Malcolm had invested faith in Elijah Muhammad and the NOI, a faith that was necessary to Malcolm’s survival. As is often the case when we put our faith in people and are unpleasantly surprised, anger sets in and eventually rejection takes it place. Malcolm was asked to keep quiet about the goings on of Elijah Muhammad but he refused. Malcolm X left the NOI as he felt that he could not represent a fraudulent organization. Because he took the tenets of NOI seriously, Malcolm also expressed guilt for converting so many others to the NOI as well.

A common denominator in wonderful role models is their uncanny ability to adapt to change and shift effortlessly. After leaving the NOI, Malcolm traveled to Mecca, Saudi Arabia where he experienced his faith in a completely new way. Upon his return, Malcolm welcomed people of all races and embraced white people as his brethren, something that was unheard not too long before. In his travels, Malcolm met with Fidel Castro, went to Africa and one could say in so doing, saw through his fathers’ dream. Malcolm was also highly coveted as a public speaker at college campuses across the country. And to a man like Malcolm, there was no greater opportunity than to educate the youth of America.

Malcolm was married to Betty X and they had six children together. Unfortunately, history repeated itself and Malcolm was murdered in cold blood by three men firing 15 bullets at close range. These men were affiliated with the NOI and convicted of first-degree murder. Inquisitive minds would wonder at the motivation, reward, and religious basis of murdering Malcolm X at the hands of men part of a religious group. If Malcolm X died for what he believed was just politically, morally, and religiously, did his killers invalidate their own mission in murdering him? Did they not make him a martyr and all the more powerful to young and old minds? Could one wonder if he died a death of other true leaders, a man who lived for something he would and did die for?

Malcolm’s funeral was attended by a vast group of mourners because of the lives he forever marked with an X.

Other Posts by Eryn on Black History Month:

Black History’s Leading Literary Lady

Making a Madam

Burning Black Wall Street

The Black Panther Party For Self Defense

In the name of Science…

Intelligence of Interference? COINTELPRO and the Black Panther Party

“How they sold Marcus Garvey for rice”-LH

Trippin on X

Yes you’re a woman…just a different kind

Justin Bua and Urban Realism

And then there was hip hop

Vote to Discontinue Black History Month

So Soulful

Black and Gay? No Way!

Colored People’s Time

Where’s my Forty Acres and a Mule

Too black to be white, too white to be black

I don’t date outside my species!

Caging the Khosian Woman

Branding the Black Woman