Malcolm X, MLK Jr. and the Black Prophetic Tradition

“I was in a state of emotional shock. I was like someone who for twelve years had had an inseparable, beautiful marriage – and then suddenly one morning at breakfast the marriage partner had thrust across the table some divorce papers. I felt as though something in nature had failed, like the sun, or the stars. It was that incredible a phenomenon to me- something too stupendous to conceive.”

The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley p.311.  

This is Malcolm X’s recollection of the moments following Elijah Muhammad’s decision to ‘silence’ him for 90 days after his “Gods judgment on America” speech and the controversy surrounding chickens coming home to roost as we studied in class. Here we see, Malcolm X, devastated at his separation from the Nation, feeling uprooted and lost without the understanding of the leader he has held responsible for his own redemption (such as from his hustling, conk wearing days in Harlem). We know that eventually, Malcolm split from the Nation, an event that endangered his life, but also created the need for a complete re-definition of Malcolm himself. Given Malcolm X’s experiences growing up and his life changing stint in prison, it is not difficult to understand the conviction with which he embraced the Nation and its prophet Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm X saw the political future they aspired towards as a beacon of light and was motivated by the emotional/spiritual security being part of a messianic religious tradition provides.

My point in laying this out is to say that when we read about leaders of the Black Prophetic tradition, or any historical movement, our empathy extends towards seeing the cause of the movement as the cause of the person. That is indeed true, Malcolm X was deeply affected his whole life by the terrible status of the black population in America, but what about the person Malcolm X was? What about his self-image, his self confidence, his ideas of happiness. Didn’t they too, given his turbulent youth, rely heavily on the participation in the Nation and the validation of Elijah Muhammad? It is a heartbreaking thought to imagine what Malcolm X must have gone through in those years when he felt the growing rift between himself and Elijah Muhammad. One of the most heartbreaking experiences in life is realizing that things are not what they seemed to you and having to watch the way you know the world fall apart completely. Being shunned from the Nation was not just an event that required Malcolm to politically re-orient himself, but re-invent who he is completely. That is a terribly daunting task in the face of crippling emotional turmoil.

The fact that he managed to recover from the most devastating of blows his tumultuous life presented him with is the reason Malcolm X is an immensely inspirational figure, an embodiment of perseverance and the act of constant growth and redemption. Malcolm X dedicated his life to constantly bearing witness to the truth no matter what. It is the fault of our conventional standards of heroism to commend only those with consistency, whereas those who constantly re-define, reevaluate and recreate themselves require equal, if not more, appreciation for their constant self awareness, self reflection and sheer courage. He did not care if he appeared inconsistent, he was consistent in his struggle for his people whom there was never any doubt he loved deeply, and he never had to prove it to anyone.

I will respond to the thoughts presented above about how and why Malcolm X has come to be such an inspiration and my efforts to humanize him by using Martin Luther King. MLK Jr. said “Life is a continual story of shattered dreams.” When I first came across this speech, I found it strange to hear MLK Jr. talk about the inevitability of failure to a people so frustrated with their condition, a people so restless. Yet, this is where we see the human side of Martin Luther King shine through; self-purification, intention and action are far more important than whether you win or lose. It is enough that it is in your heart to try. The battles Malcolm X and MLK Jr. are fighting are deeply personal, experientially and emotionally.

Malcolm X, MLK Jr. (another example from our course is Patrice Lumumba) have been sanctified by their death, made heroes in their death. One of my takeaways from this course is the idea of how decolonization and freedom from oppression is a constant, endless, painstaking battle, and it is a battle MLK and Malcolm fought differently, but equally bravely. Hopefully, my brief engagement with the two goes to show how it was constant perseverance, love for your cause, and constant self-reflection that elevated  Malcolm X and King to the place they stand at, albeit on varying points of the spectrum, on the black prophetic tradition.