'MISUNDERSTOOD'

New Views On Malcom X Presented

By: Andrew Peters

Posted: 2/2/07

Malcolm X was one of the 20th century's most misunderstood figures, according to a prominent African-American Studies scholar who spoke at at the Dodd Center's Konover Auditorium Thursday night.

Dr. Manning Marable, a Columbia University professor, delivered his lecture "Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention" to about 100 people. Marable's presentation was a preview of his upcoming biography of Macolm X, which re-examines common misconceptions about the Black Nationalist icon.

Marable was introduced at 7 p.m. by Dr. Jeffrey Ogbar, an associate professor of history and director of the Institute of African-American Studies at UConn.

Marable consistently challenged popular beliefs about Malcolm X's legacy, backing up his statements with exclusive and original "oral history" - extensive interviews he conducted with figures connected to Malcolm X.

"Malcolm X was not a saint," Marable said "Yet despite contradictions and other personal failures, he possessed the potential to unite black America."

According to Marable, a 1965 biography by Alex Haley remains the authoritative source on Malcolm X's life. However, Marable said the biography Haley ghost-wrote for Malcolm X was censored by publishing editors and many facts were distorted or omitted. He contends that his forthcoming biography, which he said will be released in 2009, will set the record straight on Malcolm X's early life, rift with the Nation of Islam (NOI), and eventual assassination.

"Malcolm X was potentially a new type of world leader," Marable said. "Telling that remarkable true story is the purpose and goal of my biography."

Marable began his talk with a graphic and detailed account of Malcolm X's assassination in 1965. Malcolm X, who had changed his name to El-Hajj Malik al-Shabazz since converting to Orthodox Islam in 1964, was speaking at an Organization for Afro-American Unity meeting in Manhattan's Audubon Ballroom when a disturbance broke out.

An argument in the audience drew Malcolm X's bodyguards away the stage and toward the disturbance, Marable said. While the bodyguards were preoccupied with calming the fight, three men approached the stage and shot Malcolm from 15 feet away with a shotgun.

Malcolm X sustained 13 significant wounds to his heart and chest, according to Marable. He toppled over backward and was gushing blood. By the time help arrived, it was too late.

After recounting the story of Malcolm's assassination, Marable departed from traditional history and offered his own account of the murder and the events leading up to it.

He charged that FBI members were present at the Audubon Ballroom that night, taking flash pictures just before the assassination attempt. Marable also said the assassination was planned by six men, not three and that Thomas 15X Johnson, who was later convicted of the murder, was not actually at the meeting.

"There's only one way [for the FBI] to reconstruct the scene with that degree of accuracy," he said. "That's with a `photographic memory' - hence the flashing lights."

He went on to dispute other misunderstandings about Malcolm's life and legacy.

Malcolm X had a troubled youth, according to Marable, and ended up in prison. There, he discovered the works of Elijah Muhammad, and joined the NOI upon his release in 1952.

"He built [the NOI] from insignificance to a black power organization," Marable said.

But Malcolm eventually fell out of favor with the NOI. In 1964, he converted from the NOI to Orthodox Islam and tensions between the two groups elevated.

"Malcolm X continually challenged [the NOI]'s practices," Marable said. "Many were angered by his newfound support for racial cooperation and women's rights [in 1964.]"

Marable also addressed myths about Malcolm's personality. He said though Malcolm was passionate about his beliefs, he was a subdued person more often than not.

"His rhetoric was charged in order to incite provocative racial discussion," Marable said. "Whites would be placed on the defensive in a new dialectic of racial roles."

"He was the hustler and trickster and the preacher and minister both," Marable said. "His speeches mesmerized audiences because he orchestrated all these things seamlessly."

Students in the audience were intrigued by the unique view of Malcolm X that Marable presented.

"I thought it was interesting how [Malcolm X] constructed the myth, and how [Marable] portrayed Malcolm X as a complex character," said Xue Feng Liu, a 4th-semester urban studies major. "Not as a saint, but he showed Malcolm X was deeper."

"I've always heard rumors that the Nation of Islam was involved [in Malcolm X's assassination,] but I've never heard an authoritative scholar come out and say it," said Mongones Juleau, an 8th-semester finance major. "I've always been curious, but now I have solid confidence."

"People always put on a facade about Malcolm X," Juleau said. "But this is more of the truth. He wasn't afraid of death for whatever he wanted to accomplish."

Marable, too, was excited to spread his new history of Malcolm X to the audience.

"Malcolm is a hero and icon to 1.5 billion Muslims as well as the African diaspora," he said. "He's a truly global figure."