2 25-2 27 MLK MX - Taught by Professor Andre Willis PDF

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Taught by Professor Andre Willis...

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RELS0820: African American Religious Strategies 2/25/20 Reading: Manning Marable, Malcolm X Chapters 1&2 For 2/27 - chapters 3&4 For 3/3 - chapters 5&6 - Malcolm born May, 1925 I.

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Manning Marable, A. 1950-201, Book came out in 2012, spent the last 15 years of his life writing the book B. B. Dayton, OH (primarily reared in the Black area of Dayton) C. Trained in History D. Biggest job was Professor of History and Public Affairs at Columbia E. Critic of capitalism. Was a Democratic Socialist Marable, Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention A. Book was a response to Alex Haley, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, 1965 1. Alex Haley recorded conversations with Malcolm during the last 2 years of his life. This was the most fundamental original text about Malcolm that we have B. Peter Goldman, The Death and Life of Malcolm X, 1973 1. Most of it is about Malcolm in the Nation and the politics of Malcolm 2. Isn’t a full picture of Malcolm’s life C. Eugene Wolfenstein, The Victims of Democracy, 1981 1. More focused on Malcolm as a critic of US and anti-colonial governments worldwide 2. Isn’t a full picture of Malcolm’s life D. Bruce Perry, The Life of A Man who Changed Black America, 1991 1. Book traced Malcolm’s development as a youth all the way to his death. Controversial because it cites about 3 situations where Malcolm had homosexual behaviors. Question became if Malcolm did these things, is his legacy tainted? 2. Created a lot of controversy in African American studies and the study of Black religion… led to academic scholarship on MX’s sexuality - “The Sexuality of Malcolm X” 3. Seen as a white guy who was trampling on MX’s legacy by calling him gay… the academy hated him for the way he talked about Malcolm’s sexual encounters E. Marable’s Problems with the Earlier Texts on MX 1. Inaccurate regarding race and class

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2. Troubling regarding MX homosexual relations 3. Too narrow regarding MX family and community history 4. Marable tries to redefine the legacy and history of MX Marucs Garvey A. Born 1887 St. Anne’s Bay, Jamaica B. When he was 13, he was an apprentice to a printer. Important because when he gets older, he knows how to print to create flyers, posters, newspapers, etc. that was important in mobilization efforts C. Becomes fascinated with Booker T. Washington. Writes to Booker T, Booker pays for Garvey’s ticket to come to the US in 1915. 1. 1915 Garvey comes to the USA, but Booker T was dead a) Was skilled because he was a speaker, writer, and a printer (he practiced oratory as a child, so he was a rhetorical genius) 2. UNIA - Universal Negro Improvement Association a) About Black empowerment through Black entrepreneurship b) Has a religious wing in the Ar 3. African Orthodox Church a) Garvey also started a church b) Important because he thought Black people were religiously divided as the product of white man’s divisions which crept into their spirituality c) African Orthodox Church all about unity d) Body that practices and crafts rituals that support their vision of how to be free Black people. How to release the Black psyche frommits indoctrination of white standards of beauty, excellence, etc. 4. Ethiopianism: “Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God” D. Garvey was passionate about Black empowerment and building up the Black community from within 1. Black people couldn’t emulate white people by chemically altering their hair - natural hair only 2. Black businesses only - support Black business 3. No Black dolls 4. Black economic freedom - not controlled by white capitalist system 5. Free Black station (talks about racial uplift, not racial equality… also doesn’t mention gender equality or the role of women except that they were to birth the nation) E. MX and Garvey 1. Garvey was important to Malcolm because Malcolm’s dad (Earl Little) loved Garvey. Earl Little moved all the way to Omaha, NE with a young

family to preach Black uplift a) Demonstrates Earl Little’s love for Garvey because not many ministers would do that IV.

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Malcolm’s Relations with Women A. Ella - Malcolm’s older half-sister (from his dad’s first marriage) B. Bea Caragulian - white (Armenian) on and off girlfriend; older than MX; betrays(?) MX C. Louise - Malcolm’s mom from Grenada D. Evelyn Williams - another girlfriend Importance of Black Culture A. Black cultural institutions - the center where Black life is preserved… mechanism to keep oneself alive 1. Purposes: a) generative/creative b) communal/collective (1) Malcolm goes to these spaces for community before he joined NOI c) criminal/underground (1) The site of a lot of Black criminality that was inviting and seductive for Malcolm 2. Examples: Savoy, Cotton Club, Tik Tok Club, Apollo Theatre, Roseland Ballroom, Small’s Paradise, etc. 3. These spaces are huge and important for Black existence in the 40s and 50s 2/27/20 Reading: Manning Marable, Malcolm X Chapters 3&4

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Malcolm’s Relations with Religion A. Garveyism as a religious movement B. Prophetic black protestantism 1. Abyssinian Baptist Church - Adam Clayon Powell, Jr. C. Seventh-Day Adventists

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Malcolm’s Relations with White people A. Complicated 1. Killing of his father by white

2. White schoolmates (had some positive experience with whites here, because he was elected class president when he moved to a new school in his youth) 3. Paul Lennon 4. White scoundrels/criminals B. Not one-sided, when he gets the idea that white people are teh devil, he has to do tricky interior moves to reconcile that. He was treated one way by certain whites, but then started calling them all the devil, so he had to do some reconciliation within himself to make it all work III.

Conversion to NOI A. Social influence - John Elton Bembry 1. 20 years older than MX, becomes the father Malcolm never had 2. Very knowledgeable, inspirational, figure that gets Malcolm on track and inspires him to turn his life around B. Familiam Influence 1. Siblings all converted to the NOI 2. Marable shows how influential family and Bembry influence was because MX mentions a lot of nationalist mentality that fueled his conversion C. Black Nationalist message 1. Black Pride 2. Rejection of integration a) A Black nation is to be controlled, sustained, and organized by Black people and Black people alone b) Integration is not a thing, but doesn’t necessarily mean segregation (1) Wants a nation controlled by Black people… later on white people might be incorporated or included…? (2) Early MX would say they want a whole separate nation so it would be more like separation than segregation 3. Self-sufficiency a) Black people not depending on anyone else

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Religion v. Secular A. For MX, the lure was more secular. NOI held the possibility of finding selfrespect and dignity as a Black man. This was a faith that said Blacks had nothing to be ashamed of or apologetic for (Marablem, p.78) 1. Malcolm wasn’t interested in the divine, theological aspect as much. Early MX A. No Malcolm with Elijah Muhammad… Elijah loved MX and that loved transformed MX 1. Elijah poured all of his love, devotion, and attention into MX and did so in

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the hopes of having an impact (admirable?) 2. Allowed MX to begin to access his potential. Elijah did this a lot, he would write MX while MX was in prison and even sent him money VI.

Islam A. Five Pillars 1. Shahada: “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is God’s Messenger.” 2. Salat: Daily Prayers 3. Zakat: Giving of Alms 4. Fasting: during Ramadan 5. Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca

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Ahmadiyya Movement, Garveyism, and the MST A. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad - established a kind of Muslim informed movement across the faiths in 1890s B. Mufti Muhammad Sadiq - brought it to the US C. Linked to UNIA and MST 1. Introduced the Holy Qur’an and Hadith to African Americans...