I was watching Democracy Now the other day and Esteemed Columbia University Professor, and fellow Black Radical, Manning Marable was on, discussing the legacy of Malcolm X. Perhaps you are thinking to yourself: Hey, after an autobiography that has sold millions and a movie that should have won Denzel Washington an oscar, what more is there to learn about Malcolm X? Professor Manning Marable suggests that a lot of what we we know about him has been distorted and other important information has been suppressed.

Prof. Marable makes two earth shattering points as he speaks with Amy Goodman:

1. The autobiography of Malcolm X is not a true representation of his politics;
and
2. There are 3 missing chapters from the autobiography, that have never been seen by the public.


For point 1, he discusses, among other things the notion that Malcolm's biographer, Alex Haley, was a republican who hated Malcolm's views and wanted to portray Malcolm's life in a way that served Haley's political interests (Malcolm's family made similar claims). He stated that Alex Haley wanted to do the biography so that he could shape the story politically. He accused Alex Haley of wanting to paint Malcolm X as an intergrationist, when he knew full well, that Malcolm's actual position was much too complex to categorize it as integrationist. He also made other claims about Alex Haley's involvement with the FBI.

With regards to the missing chapters, he states that they were auctioned off in 1999 to an attorney, who now owns them and has not published them. Prof. Marable said the gentleman was 'kind' enough to grant him 15 minutes to look at the chapters, and in it, Malcolm laid out his political programme which included the formation of a broad-based united black front.

There is much more to this interview than I have summarized here that we all need to become more acquainted with (Click for the interview audio/video/ transcript) . Malcolm X was and a continues to be an inspiration for those of us who wish to shape the black experience into something freer and more whole. We owe it to him, to our community, and ourselves to learn the truth about his politics and the legacy that he wanted to leave for us. Prof. Marable's book on this topic entitled: Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention is due out in 2009, but seeing how he teaches in NY, why don't we find out if he'd be willing to have a sit down with a fellow Black Radical? Stay tuned...

For more information on Malcolm X check the Malcolm X project at Columbia University.

Labels: Democracy Now, Malcolm X, Manning Marable