Filed under: Celebrations, Commentary
While still not a United States federal holiday, May 19 marks the birthday of a unique man in American history. Malcolm X would be 86 today, having been born on this date in 1925 as Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, the fourth of seven children.
For as long as Malcolm was alive and in the years since he was violently gunned down in front of a crowd that included his wife and daughters in Manhattan's Audubon Ballroom on February 21, 1965, the mere mention of Malcolm's name evokes controversy.
In his teenage years growing up in the Roxbury section of Boston, Malcolm was a mischievous young guy, parading around with white women he dated at a time when inter-racial dating was still taboo and involving himself with petty drug dealing. His shenanigans would continue when he moved to Harlem in 1943. After dodging military enlistment, Malcolm returned to Boston in 1945 and joined a burglary ring, which would later result in his arrest and subsequent sentencing for eight to ten years at Charlestown State Prison in Charlestown, Boston.
His time in prison proved to be pivotal. It was there he became a devout Muslim and a member of the Nation of Islam. He also changed his last name from "Little" to "X" and when he got out, he joined the ranks of the Nation serving as a minister.
Malcolm's time with the Nation catapulted him onto the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement and made him a boldfaced name in the media. On March 8, 1964, he separated himself from the Nation of Islam for many reasons, though chief among them was a supposed feud with the Nation's leader Elijah Muhammad, who grew jealous of Malcolm's growing popularity. Malcolm remained a Muslim, eventually converting to Sunni Muslim.
Less than a year later, three members of the Nation of Islam assassinated Malcolm. At the funeral, the actor and activist Ossie Davis delivered a touching eulogy, referring to Malcolm as "our shining black prince." Speaking to Malcolm's polarizing legacy even before it was firmly cemented, Davis also said, "They will say he is of hate - a fanatic, a racist - who can only bring evil to the cause for which you struggle! And we will answer and say to them: Did you ever talk to Brother Malcolm...For if you did you would know him and if you knew him you would know why we must honor him."
Near the end of his life, Malcolm's attitude towards whites and the world at large matured. His worldview embraced a more united front and a more abstract enemy as evidenced in a speech entitled, 'The Ballot or the Bullet' delivered in Cleveland, Ohio in 1964. In it, Malcolm said:
"Now in speaking like this, it doesn't mean that we're anti-white, but it does mean we're anti-exploitation, we're anti-degradation, we're anti-oppression. And if the white man doesn't want us to be anti-him, let him stop oppressing and exploiting and degrading us. Whether we are Christians or Muslims or nationalists or agnostics or atheists, we must first learn to forget our differences. If we have differences, let us differ in the closet; when we come out in front, let us not have anything to argue about until we get finished arguing with the man."
For all who knew him and all who study him, Malcolm X has shifted from being one of history's most controversial figures to one of its more complex. Perhaps that's why the title of his latest biography, 'Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention' by Manning Marable is so fitting. In his lifetime, Malcolm went from criminal to minister to activist to leader to outcast to martyr. And even amidst his controversial role in American history, the man who was given a stamp by the United States Postal Service in 1999 has still become an influence in today's leaders.
Take for instance, President Obama's Middle East speech today. The tone was Malcolm-ian, as President Obama spoke of a need for the United States and the Middle East to smooth out their very complicated relationship. "Such open discourse is important even if what is said does not square with our worldview," the President said. "America respects the right of all peaceful and law-abiding voices to be heard, even if we disagree with them. We look forward to working with all who embrace genuine and inclusive democracy. What we will oppose is an attempt by any group to restrict the rights of others, and to hold power through coercion - not consent. Because democracy depends not only on elections, but also strong and accountable institutions, and respect for the rights of minorities."
It sounds like something Malcolm X might have said if he were alive today.