The Dilemma With Being Great. A Nation’s Envy.

This post has author takeaways in blue.
Narrated by Tashawn B., the author.

The first time I heard the saying “no one man should have all that power” was in Kayne’s song called “POWER”. If this song was to play on my gym playlist, I would repeat it a few times. It would help me finish my reps, but then it would always make me think about how we look at people in power. For instance, Adolf Hitler was a German dictator. We saw all the evil things he did with power. We could also look at a person like Mahatma Gandhi, a revolutionary who had a lot of power but used it for good, used his power for love.

This quote Kayne used originated from a Chief Inspector in New York 28th Precinct regarding Malcolm X after seeing how he seemed to organize and direct sizeable crowds of African American people. The black masses entrusted Malcolm with the image of leadership amongst them. It was said that Malcolm X was the only American negro that could stop or start a riot. Having an influence like this could cause people to respect you and could also cause people to become envious of you. Here’s a lesson from Malcolm X we all can take notes from.

Malcolm Little was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 19th, 1925. He changed his name when he joined the Nation of Islam. The “X” in Malcolm’s name was a placeholder as he didn’t know his real last name and refused to continue to use the last name that was given to his ancestors by their slave master. Malcolm’s father, Earl Little, was a Baptist speaker that admired black activists like Marcus Garvey. Malcolm X’s father was an activist who advocated for social justice and garnered both a following and the ire of white supremacist organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan and the Black Legion. Earl Little received many threats and would “accidentally” get killed by a streetcar. His death seemed more like an assassination. This would lead to the Little family traveling and landing in Detroit, Michigan.

Malcolm was a bit reckless in his early life. He no longer had guidance from his father. The tension his mother was under drove her to a state of insanity, so Malcolm had to take care of himself. He engaged in a few criminal-related activities like pimping, drug dealing, and robbery. He would pick up the street name “Detroit Red” as he would get his naturally red hair permed. Malcolm’s thuggish actions would lead to him being arrested and going to jail. It was during Malcolm’s time in prison that he met a man named John Membry and became involved with the Nation of Islam.

He wrote Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam, and after extensive reading and unlearning the mental conditioning that was subconsciously taught black people in America. They accepted him into the Nation of Islam. Malcolm read an entire dictionary, and gain a great understanding of words and grammar. He noticed how the word “black” signified evil and the word “white” signified purity; this showed him just how subtly racism was ingrained even in language. Malcolm gave up things like pork and anything he felt was sinful. He truly abided by the ways of Islam. With Mr. Muhammad’s teachings, Malcolm became a different man. Malcolm owed all his changes to Mr. Muhammad.

Malcolm went from a Detroit gangster to one of Muhammad’s best and first national ministers. Like Muhammad’s teachings; Malcolm’s teachings would mold the minds of millions of people, not just in America, but nationwide. He targeted to change the victim and fearful mindset the black people had. Malcolm helped build three of the nation’s most powerful mosques in New York and hundreds of other ones in America. He aimed to crush the inferiority complex that was present in the mind of black people. Making sure that they knew they were the original people. Malcolm was more than dedicated to the Nation of Islam. He believed Mr. Muhammad was Allah sent. Malcolm became very popular and influential. They would see him as the spokesperson for the black man in America.

When Mr. Muhammad started getting sick, Malcolm would be the major person to spread most of the teachings. Members of the Nation felt Malcolm was taking credit for Mr. Muhammad’s teachings; Malcolm was seen and heard everywhere, but that couldn’t be further from the truth, he thought. Every time he spoke, he mentioned everything was from the honorable Muhammad’s teachings. Malcolm was dedicated to the cause. Although Malcolm can sense envy, this didn’t phase him, as he could remember a time when Mr. Muhammad told Malcolm that envy and jealousy would come about. After years of Malcolm being the face of American Muslims, it got to where the Nation papers stopped writing about him and instead started writing about more “integrated” figures that favored white leaders.

Mr. Muhammad would provide anything Malcolm needed to spread the word. Malcolm claimed he never used the money he received for himself, even when his wife thought he should put some money away for their family. Malcolm was against that and stood firm on it. He felt the nation would take care of his family, but he would later realize he was a fool to believe that.

The jealousy Malcolm was receiving was getting to that when it came to speaking, Malcolm would refuse any interviews or magazine features that focus on him. Which was a shame because he felt they could have been beneficial to the Nation of Islam and the black man. In 1963, when Mr. Muhammad was gravely ill, he spoke to an audience and said Malcolm was his “most faithful and hardworking minister”. Malcolm would be the only one to get such honor from him. He truly deserved it.

Malcolm would be a Muslim minister for 12 years. He withstood the envy that was around him for a very long time, as it wasn’t about him. His life was dedicated to Allah and Mr. Muhammad. It was strange his people felt so envious of him when he was just doing the best he could for the Nation. Malcolm heard many rumors regarding Mr. Muhammad but didn’t believe any of them. Even the ones where it was said he talked badly about him. What would get to Malcolm is that his teacher, to whom he dedicated himself, and many others dedicated their lives, “betrayed” them. He felt Mr. Muhammad betrayed the Nation.

Mr. Muhammad himself, the messenger from the nation of Islam, committed adultery. He secretly had four children from two different women in their 20s. He was 67, at the time the news came to Malcolm. Malcolm didn’t want to believe this, but as more facts came in, it became obvious to Malcolm that the news was true. The Muslim women were silenced and not to be spoken to, but Malcolm went and asked the woman and children of Muhammad, anyway. They told Malcolm everything. They even told him how Mr. Muhammad was talking behind Malcom’s back and felt he was a threat.

Malcolm trusted Muhammad so much that he even tried to justify Mr. Muhammad’s actions by reading the Quran. He read about David’s adultery and how it wasn’t as important as his slaying of Goliath. He read how Noah built the Ark and showed people how to survive, even though he may have been a drunkard. He talked about Moses’ adultery and how he lead the Hebrews from bondage. Malcolm would ask Mr. Muhammad and get the truth, but stayed loyal to him.

“President Kennedy never foresaw that the chickens would come home to roost so soon…Being an old farm boy myself, chickens coming home to roost never did make me sad; they always made me glad.”

Malcolm X.

In the same year, President JFK was assassinated. A reporter asks Malcolm what he felt about it. Malcolm said, “President Kennedy never foresaw that the chickens would come home to roost so soon..”, which means he felt that the president had it coming. This was the white man’s karma for how blacks were treated. This statement came off as distasteful and too soon. The Nation silenced Malcolm for his remark. He would have to cut off all communication with anyone from the nation. It would be for 90 days, but the hustler in Malcolm knew that would be how the Nation would get rid of him. This is the moment they were waiting for; the reason to get him out of the Nation. Malcolm would appear to become more of a problem to the Nation than a help. One of Malcolm’s close assistants told him that someone had ordered an assassination of him.

Malcolm would stay faithful to Mr. Muhammad even with the death threats until he realized that he believed in Mr. Muhammad more than Mr. Muhammad believed in himself. This disillusion made Malcom move away from Mr. Muhammad and get deeper into his religion and activism. Malcolm challenged the black man to cure their mental, economic, and political sicknesses. He would reach beyond just the Nation of Islam and reach people through all faiths, even those with no religion.

Seeking to deepen his spiritual beliefs, he made a pilgrimage to Mecca to take part in the annual Islamic “Hajj”. Mecca is known as the holiest city in Islam, in Saudi Arabia. Malcolm would later change his name to Malik el-Shabazz as he became more aware of himself and his religion. On February 21, 1965, Malcolm would experience a similar fate to his father, dying amid activism. He would get assassinated by gunshots two years later in front of a 400-man audience at the Audubon Ballroom in New York. An autopsy revealed he was shot 21 times.

TAKEAWAYS:

Malcolm was a victim of something bigger than him. In Robert Greene’s book The 48 Laws of Power, his first law was: Never outshine the master. This is the case I feel we have here. Not only did the bigoted Americans want to see his downfall, but the very people that lifted him wanted it as well.

Malcolm’s loyalty to Mr.Muhammad was so strong that he refused to think logically when it came to him. The nation was truly a family to Malcolm. When your loyalty is this strong it’s often blinding.

What made Malcolm stand out from other activists like Martin Luther King Jr. was he felt that they should have amended their “non-engagement” policy. Malcolm felt if they could throw a punch, they can take a punch. He didn’t preach violence, but self-defense.

Even with death threats, Malcolm stayed in an environment that was dangerous. He didn’t fear death. His activism was more important and his purpose was beyond just him.

During his time with the Nation, he believed that blacks and whites should be segregated. When Malcolm went to Mecca, he saw all races loved him. He learned it wasn’t about skin color but the hate itself in places like America. Malcolm was humble enough to challenge and correct his past teachings.

I feel if Malcolm were still here, things would be different. He had a finesse with his actions and his words that were effective without being disrespectful. He lived in the hood and could relate to them on a scale that other activists couldn’t.

What are your takeaways from this?