The Making of an Organic Intellectual

 As you all know I'm taking small bites of this book which usually means that it takes me a few days to read through a chapter because there is just so much information to try and digest. When I picked up the book for a much overdue blog post, I read straight through chapter 3, "Becoming "X": January 1946-August 1952." In this chapter Marable gives us a summary of Malcolm's life in prison, his introduction to the Nation of Islam, and some of the most amazing details of the history of the Nation of Islam. I wanted to review this book chapter by chapter to lift out those "golden nuggets" that can be missed when one does an overall review. This particular chapter makes me happy I made that decision.

"I could spend the rest of my life reading" (91).

Malcolm's life is prison was one of terror and most of the time he was the one causing it. Marable gives us a little history on the inhumane conditions of the Charlestown State Prison. Charlestown was also the oldest penal facility in continuous use in the world at that time (71). Another characteristic that stood out about Malcolm during his prison stay was how incredibly lazy he was. He stayed in trouble for dodging work or doing enough just to get by. I'm only sure his poor work ethic stemmed from his life of hustling and never really being established on a job. Malcolm met John Elton Bembry a fellow prisoner whom he worked with and whose intellectualism mesmerized him and actually set him on a self-directed course of formal study. Malcolm put this new knowledge to use on the prison debate team where he became an "expert" debater (91). The discipline that came along with Malcolm's search for knowledge really set the stage for him to move into his next phase of life. 

Around 1948, Malcolm's brother Philbert wrote a letter informing Malcolm that the family had converted to Islam (75). Malcolm dismissed this letting citing that Philbert was "forever joining something" (75). What we come to learn up to this point is that the Little family was really close knit despite all the hardships they faced.  The "family" converting to Islam was seen as a way for them to have a common connection regardless of where they went in life (76). In essence, Malcolm's family introduced him to Islam not the prison culture. This was quite a revelation to me. I can't remember if this fact was listed in the "Autobiography" as such or not but I've watched the Spike Lee movie depicting Malcolm's life so much that I have taken it as fact. In the movie Malcolm's conversion to Islam was encouraged by a fellow prisoner. What was even more shocking was the personal connection of Malcolm's family and that of Elijah Poole's. Elijah Poole later came to be known as the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Earl, Malcolm's father, had occasionally preached in the Clara Poole's parents hometown (78). Ella had also been friends with the Poole's when she lived in Georgia prior to them being linked to the NOI (78). Malcolm began to embrace Islam and also demanded that the prisons he was in during this time respect the practices the faith of Muslim prisoners. He moved that the  prisons make pork free meals available Muslim prisoners and that Muslim prisoners had cells that faced East so they could perform daily prayers. During this time Malcolm began to correspond regularly with Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm's correspondence was not only with Elijah Muhammad but with lawmakers, family, and old friends. Marable also made it a point to stress that Malcolm continued to attempt to stay in contact with Paul Lennon his supposedly "homosexual" friend and benefactor. It was Malcolm's letter to President Truman that opened his FBI file which was not closed until his death (95).

I can't stress enough how amazing the details were that Marable gave on the background of the NOI and how the organization was birthed. Marable even gave the early origins of The Moorish Science Temple of America and its founder the Noble Drew Ali and how that movement set the stage for Wallace D. Fard to establish the NOI.  Another shocking revelation was that Elijah Poole was never a great speaker, without charisma, and did not even possess basic language skill but Fard saw "something" in him (87). We later came to learn that that the "something" he possessed was persistence. I would encourage anyone who wants to know more about the origins of the NOI and their system of beliefs to read this chapter. Marable closes the chapter with Malcolm release from prison. When Malcolm left prison he purchased a new pair of glasses, a suitcase, and a wristwatch (99). He stated that he purchased these items because he was about to see more, travel, and seize the time (99). 

There is so much information that I gleaned from this chapter that I plan to research independently. Hopefully, some of that research will end up on this blog. Marable referred to Antonio Gramsci's theory of the "organic intellectual" that sparked my interest. Gramsci was imprisoned for over a decade under Mussolini and found that being dedicated to intellectual engagement he could endure physical hardships (90).  What a thought! So I have to search out Gramsci and his theory a little more. Some other events that were mentioned that caught my eye were China's opium wars and the 1901 Boxer Rebellion. More later....