The growing intellectual - Malcolm X

It has been more than one year since I stumbled on this amazing man of intellect whose immense wisdom still impacts my life today, even in death. I am very glad that God in his infinite wisdom, decided to bless the earth with this maverick.

Born on the 19th of May, 1925 as Malcolm Little, to Earl and Louise Little, this young man will start off his life on a very tragic note. Rev. Earl Little, was a Black Baptist minister who was very critical on the injustices done to black people. He would later attract the attention of the Ku Klax Klan (a racist, white supremacist militant group). Unfortunately, his life would come to an abrupt end under rather mysterious circumstances . According to Malcolm X in an interview - City Desk (1963), the Klan was fully responsible for the death of his father. His mother would later on suffer from a mental breakdown which led to Malcolm being sent to a foster home.

Malcolm's descent into a life of lawlessness and indiscipline was sparked off when the bright young man informed his teacher, a white man, that he wanted to be a lawyer - to which the teacher scoffed at, telling him that he wouldn't be able to achieve such a feat because he was black, and that he would better off as a carpenter.

This turned a once bright young man into a literal criminal - a real lost cause. He would then be sent to prison at an early age for burglary, where his entire worldview would be changed forever. He would immerse himself into Islamic study, African studies and would also read the thoughts of many western philosophers, which had an impact on his articulation and understanding of world issues.

The reason I refer to him as a growing intellectual stems from the growth in his argument for separation; from being a localised Afro-American visionary whose thoughts were mainly for black people in America, to being one who advocated for unity among black people everywhere. What started off as a distaste for white people in America metamorphosed into a distaste for the entire world system designed to oppress black people everywhere. He had now fully embraced the core message of Marcus Garvey, just as his father did.

He made several trips to Africa, even giving a speech at the University of Ghana in May, 1964. It is said that he expressed profound regard for the work of the Pan-Africanists of the day, especially the Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. He is said to spent 4 days in Ghana with his host Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

The richness of his intellect is a great source of inspiration for me today and anytime I feel like giving up, I quickly remember this awesome man who stood up for African peoples all over the world and was not a coward in expressing his views.

One thing I leave with you is a quote from him while he was with other colleagues in Paris filmed in 1965, "The Organisation of Afro-American Unity has a programme to link the Afro-Americans with the Africans and the Africans with the Afro-Americans....when Africa is strong our position here in America would be one of respect, but if Africa is weak we will not be in a position of respect here in America...." This was his view after visiting Africa, where he concluded that just as Dr. Nkrumah had postulated, the challenge of the black man's exploitation can only be resolved by a united black race since the project of exploitation itself is Pan-African in nature.

Unfortunately, this man would have his life taken from him in one of the most gruesome ways. He would be killed due to multiple gunshots sustained in his chest on the 21st of February, 1965 in the Audubon Ballroom, in Manhattan New York City. A murder case which remains a mystery till this day.

Long live the Minister Malcolm X, long live Brother El-Hajj Malik El-Shabbaz, long live the anti-imperialist struggle. Hope to see you one day in paradise.

Shalom.