Malcolm X

Malcolm X left a very complicated legacy. His autobiography, which was published after his death, profoundly affected many blacks and whites who read it. Readers were especially impressed by his personal journey from petty criminal to spiritual leader. They also admired how Malcolm X transformed himself intellectually from a preacher of racial hatred to an advocate of interracial and international brotherhood. Malcolm X significantly elevated black consciousness in the United States. He asserted in the most forceful terms that “black is beautiful,” and that African Americans must take control of their own destiny.

Many have tried to lay claim to the legacy of Malcolm X, just as they have celebrated other heroes who have died. The Socialist Workers’ Party, which follows the teachings of Marxist political thinker Leon Trotsky, has long viewed Malcolm X as an icon or symbol. So, too, did the militant political group the Black Panther Party and various other radical organizations in the late 1960s and 1970s. Some of these groups identified with his statements urging violence while others focused on his support of black nationalism. More recently Hollywood has made Malcolm X a subject of mass-media attention, bombarding the public with T-shirts, baseball caps, and posters that have commercialized his image.

In one sense, some of these conflicting claims on his memory are legitimate because Malcolm X did undergo a radical transformation during his lifetime. He was always a radical and sometimes an advocate of violence, although he became a man of peace. He rejected voting and political action during his early years, but later embraced them. As a member of the Nation of Islam, he called whites the devil, but as a Sunni Muslim he embraced all people as brothers. Always charismatic and witty, his words and speeches provided quotes for people with many different social and political goals. His most enduring message remains one of black self-respect and self-help, combined with his uncompromising rejection of racism.