What would Malcolm X say about Trump? New book argues his legacy is more important than ever

If you were astir successful the aboriginal ’90s you saw a full batch of shot caps emblazoned with a elemental superior “X.” They marked an ingenious selling changeable connected the portion of filmmaker Spike Lee, who would soon unveil 1 of his champion movies, 1992’s “Malcolm X,” starring Denzel Washington arsenic the fiery, prophetic and often misinterpreted Black nationalist leader. The movie and the treatment and statement it inspired marked a caller surge successful Malcolm Fever that included but went acold beyond fashionable headwear.

But Malcolm X, who was assassinated successful 1965 soon aft breaking with the Nation of Islam, ne'er truly went retired of style. This is the statement that drives “The Afterlife of Malcolm X,” Mark Whitaker’s incisive survey of Malcolm’s enduring spot successful American culture, and the slow-grinding process of discovering who truly killed him (and who didn’t). “Afterlife” truly tells 2 stories, moving on parallel tracks: One is simply a enactment of taste past that touches connected Malcolm’s entreaty to radical arsenic disparate arsenic Black Power firebrand Stokely Carmichael and blimpish Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who erstwhile groused, “I don’t spot however the civilian rights radical of contiguous tin assertion Malcolm X arsenic their own.” The different is simply a ineligible thriller astir the 3 men imprisoned for pumping Malcolm’s assemblage afloat of bullets that February time successful 1965 astatine the Audubon Ballroom successful Washington Heights.

(Simon & Schuster)

That the 2 strands negociate to link is simply a testament to Whitaker’s clarity and organizational skills arsenic a writer, and his acquisition arsenic a journalist. The erstwhile exertion of Newsweek — helium was the archetypal Black person of a nationalist quality play — Whitaker has a acquisition for streamlining gobs of material, immoderate of it rather contentious, into a smooth, readable narrative, oregon bid of narratives that click together. He touches connected however his taxable influenced sports, the arts, governmental thought and activism. He tracks Malcolm’s astir important chroniclers, immoderate of them well-known, others little so. You astir apt cognize of Alex Haley, writer of the posthumously published (and selectively factual) “Autobiography of Malcolm X.” You’re apt little acquainted with Peter Goldman (himself a erstwhile elder exertion astatine Newsweek), the achromatic newsman who gained Malcolm’s trust, interviewed and wrote astir him respective times, and ended up penning the well-received “The Death and Life of Malcolm X” successful 1973.

One could reason that Whitaker spends a small excessively overmuch clip connected comparatively peripheral figures similar Goldman, who did extremity up playing roles successful some the taste interaction and jurisprudence strands of “Afterlife.” And Whitaker sometimes burrows into subplots with a tenacity that tin marque the bigger representation recede. But “Afterlife” ne'er gets boring, oregon obtuse, oregon clinical. All those years of churning retired newsweekly transcript helped marque Whitaker an instinctive crafter of miniature quality arcs who chooses the close details and paints portraits with swift, economical strokes. Eventually you recognize that each the smaller parts person served the larger full and said thing important astir who Malcolm X was and continues to be.

Author Mark Whitaker.

(Jennifer S. Altman)

Whitaker is particularly deft astatine refocusing acquainted characters, images, moments and movements done a Malcolm X lens. The representation of John Carlos and Tommie Smith connected the medal basal astatine the 1968 Summer Olympics successful Mexico City, gloved fists successful the aerial successful a Black powerfulness salute, has been seared into the humanities consciousness. In “Afterlife,” we larn that a teenage Carlos utilized to travel Malcolm astir Harlem similar a puppy dog, often taking successful his lectures and sermons. “I was conscionable successful emotion with the man,” Carlos erstwhile recalled. When it came clip to signifier earlier the 1968 Olympics — Carlos and Smith were among the athletes considering a Black boycott of the games, successful portion to protestation what they perceived arsenic the racism of International Olympic Committee President Avery Brundage — the 2 sprinters were already feeling Malcolm’s spirit.

The hip-hop section is besides a standout, focusing connected however Malcolm became a unit successful the burgeoning thoroughfare civilization archetypal done his spoken connection — Keith LeBlanc’s 1983 chopped “No Sell Out” was among the archetypal of what became countless songs to illustration his dependable — and, later, done the Afrocentric imaginativeness of artists including Public Enemy and KRS-One. Malcolm hadn’t disappeared arsenic hip-hop took formation successful the ’80s, but neither was helium the household sanction helium erstwhile was. Public Enemy person Chuck D recalls the clip erstwhile helium and collaborator Hank Boxley (later Hank Shocklee) were putting up performance flyers bearing Malcolm’s sanction and image. A young instrumentality approached and asked who Malcolm the Tenth was. “We looked astatine each other,” Chuck recalled, “and said, ‘Well, we’ve got to bash thing astir that!’”

Whitaker mounts a convincing statement that knowing the man’s sanction is much important present than ever. “Today,” helium writes, “amid a backlash against affirmative action, alleged diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, and different measures designed to rectify past radical injustice, Malcolm’s calls for Black self-reliance person ne'er seemed much urgent.”

“The Afterlife of Malcolm X” is an engaging reminder that the likes of Malcolm ne'er truly die. Sometimes, they adjacent extremity up connected hats.

Vognar is simply a freelance civilization writer.