As we continue
to honour the life and legacy of Prophet Omowale Malcolm X, it has to be stated that the meaning and location of that legacy remains a source of contention.For some, the enduring narrative is one of transformation typified by his “change” away from separatism when he left the Nation Of Islam (NOI) and his interactions with the likes of the Militant Labour Forum and Fidel Castro. Yet when asked about this “change” he replied: “How in the world can a white man expect a Black man to change before he has changed? How do expect us to change when the cause that made us as we are has not been removed. You got the wrong man!”
Nevertheless, the “change” narrative does persist but commentators such as Shawna Maglangbayan in her book Garvey, Lumumba and Malcolm: Black Nationalist-Separatistsposit that this is by deliberate design:
“As surely as Marcus Garvey, Patrice Lumumba and Malcolm X were lynched yesterday, they are being lynched today for a second time. Yesterday the white man destroyed Garvey, Lumumba and Malcolm bodily. Today he is trying to destroy them ideologically by deforming and commercializing their political thought. While alive, any and all means were used to slander their names, hinder their movements, isolate them from their people, sabotage, their work, ridicule their accomplishments and ultimately execute them. Once dead, they are delivered into the hands of a second lynching party: the adroit, cunning Aryan supremacist gang which poses as the `best friend’ of Black mankind. The most prominent members of the lynching mob who have set upon Garvey, Lumumba and Malcolm are cloaked in the sheets of marxism. Advancing upon our heroes with cries of `International Fraternity!’
Interestingly, many of Omowale Malcolm X’s speeches are published by Pathfinder Press, a US-based Trotskyist organisation that once sued Afrikan author Abdul Alkalimat for quoting Omowale Malcolm X his book Malcolm X For Beginners, as they had exclusive rights to publish Omowale Malcolm X’s speeches. The matter was settled out of court, with Alkalimat relinquishing all royalties from the book (http://www.brothermalcolm.net/studyguide/aastatement.html).
There is also an emerging trend within elements of Muslim orthodoxy to utilise the image of Omowale Malcolm X in the service of Islamic proselytising. Indeed, Papa Omowale did leave the NOI and embraced Sunni Islam, a legacy that was continued by his wife, children and grandchildren. However, after having done this he declared that religion is his “personal business” and that we should “keep our religion in the closet.” While at the same time asserting: “So today, though Islam is my religious philosophy, my political, economic, and social philosophy is Black Nationalism. In fact, I’m a “Black Nationalist Freedom Fighter.” It was this capacity to “make it plain” that ensured that the most immediate recipients of Omowale Malcolm X’s legacy were the young organisers of the Black Power movement.
within elements of Muslim orthodoxy to utilise the image of Omowale Malcolm X in the service of Islamic proselytising. Indeed, Papa Omowale did leave the NOI and embraced Sunni Islam, a legacy that was continued by his wife, children and grandchildren. However, after having done this he declared that religion is his “personal business” and that we should “keep our religion in the closet.” While at the same time asserting: “So today, though Islam is my religious philosophy, my political, economic, and social philosophy is Black Nationalism. In fact, I’m a “Black Nationalist Freedom Fighter.” It was this capacity to “make it plain” that ensured that the most immediate recipients of Omowale Malcolm X’s legacy were the young organisers of the Black Power movement.
So we ask the question:
Who are the true heirs to Omowale Malcolm X’s legacy?
1. Will you be attending the Omowale Malcolm X observance on the 22nd?
2. Has there been an attempt to “lynch Omowale Malcolm X for a second time”?
3. Did Omowale Malcolm X’s post NOI activities locate him in the political left?
4. Do members of that faith not have a right to lay claim to Omowale Malcolm X, given his conversion to Sunni Islam?
5. Can all these different elements legitimately lay claim to the OMX Legacy?
Our special guests are:
Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka: Resident guest who is Spiritual Leader of the Alkebu-Lan Revivalist Movement and UNIA-ACL Ambassador for the UK. A veteran activist of over 30 years standing, a featured columnist in The Whirlwind newspaper and author of Mosiah Daily Affirmations and Education: An Africentric Guide To Excellence
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