On February 21, 1965 Malcolm X, son of two Garveyites and former Minister in Elijah Muhammad's Nation of Islam was gunned down in the Audubon Ballroom in front of a crowd of attendees at what would have been yet another one of his history making and galvanizing speeches. In attendance that day were his wife Betty and their daughters. Police later arrested three men, all members of the Nation of Islam, all of whom were found guilty. The first two Khalil Islam and Abdul Aziz would spend the rest of their lives pleading their innocence even after their jail sentences were over. The third man, Mr. Thomas Hagan however admitted that to authorities that he was one of the triggermen and although he has since repented of his past deeds many in the African American community are not so quick to forgive him for his actions. Last week Mr. Hagan was released from jail and so I sat down with Dr. Charles Johnson, history Professor at Howard University to get some insight on what the potential implications of Hagan's release could be as well as the historical significance of the murder of Malcolm X.
Q) Last week, Mr. Thomas Hagan, former member of the Nation of Islam and confessed murderer of Malcolm X walked out of the Lincoln Correctional Facility for all intents a purposes a free man. What were your initial thoughts upon learning this information and what was/is the historical significance of it?
A) I had no particular reaction to his release; it is not historically significant because Hagan is himself not a historic figure. The life he presumably took, that of Minister Malcolm X, was historic. If anything, we should use this time heal as a people and to reflect on the lessons Malcolm X was attempting to teach us and to build on his work on our behalf.
Q) History has taught us about the many covert and illegal operations carried out by the US government (i.e. COINTELPRO) to destroy Black people. What can we learn from the influence and social architecture of political movement's like the Black Muslim Movement (NOI) and Civil Rights Movement in order to be more united and aware of who and what is really dividing us?
A) Even within these two movements, which were separate and with different objectives, my contention is that as a consequence of having had our historical memory manipulated during enslavement and colonialism we lacked, and still lack, an understanding or appreciation of who we are as African people living in the United States. It is this fundamental crisis of identity among African Americans and Africans everywhere that permits us to be easily manipulated, our protest organizations to be infiltrated, and our heroes and heroines to be assassinated. True umoja (unity) of African people cannot occur until we see worth in and are motivated to organize around as well as to defend our Africanity, which must inform our values and beliefs as well as help to prioritize our decisions and actions. It is unrealistic to expect our people to embrace Africa without first knowing Africa – its history, culture, and enumerable contributions. So coming into a full understanding of the meaning of what it is to be African or an African descendant is a first step toward understanding who we are as a people not just here in the United States but on the continent and throughout the African Diaspora. You cannot know your enemies without first truly knowing yourself.
Q) There are some who may argue that Thomas Hagan has paid his debt to society and that he should be left alone to live out his days. Do you believe that he owes a separate debt to the Black community? Why or Why Not?
A) Minister Malcolm X's life cannot be monetized or quantified to extrapolate some sort of repayment, and even if it could be reified Hagan (in whatever form of currency we could conceive of) is incapable of paying for the life that he has taken. We would hope that he will seek to make some sort of contribution to the community, but that has no bearing on Minister Malcolm X's life, death, or legacy.
Q) As a martyr, Malcolm's influence upon generations of black men has been greater in death than it was in life. He is seen as the embodiment of Black manhood and responsibility. If he had not been killed, what influence do you think he would have had upon history?
A) My initial reaction to this question, as it was to a previous question when you mentioned "us", is who are you referring to when you say, "He is seen as the embodiment of Black manhood and responsibility"? Having taught our young people for several years and talked with people publicly and in private about Minister Malcolm X, I do not think "we" have the slightest idea who he was or what he represented, what he stood for, and what he ultimately died for. Minister Malcolm X could not be allowed to live. It was inevitable that he would be either discredited or assassinated – as all real threats to the United States government have been - because he took an uncompromising stand against white supremacy and western imperialism, and because he was a nationalist. He wanted to build a nation apart from the United States where African Americans could live with dignity and honor and true self-determination (kujichagulia); he advocated for revolution to bring this about.
Q) Mr. Hagan named Khalil Islam and Abdul Aziz as innocent men. Do you believe there to be a governmental conspiracy to protect the real murderers of Malcolm X? Why or why not?
A) This question is like the one concerning the meaning of Hagan's release or putative debt to the black community; they are all nonstarters to me because they will not retroactively change the course or meaning of history. Let's assume there was one and we could prove it, what would that change about what has happened? What outcome would we expect? For most people perception is reality, so even without proof many people have perceived that there was some sort of cover up and that perception has not translated into anything meaningful that I can discern. We know that the government will do whatever is in its power to retain power; this is a tough lesson history has taught us time and again: Assata, Mumia, Fred Hampton, Mark Clark, etc. We should be cognizant of that, store it as part of our historical memory, but not be distracted from the work among our people and in our communities that will improve our lives and circumstances.
Q) Seeing as you are a Professor at Howard University what lesson do you believe students of African American History should take from the life and death of Malcolm X?
A) Malcolm X's greatest legacy is love, an undying love for his people and an inexorable desire to see them living with dignity free from the negative influences of white supremacy and imperialism. He said many times that he did what he did out of love. He was so committed to our liberation effort that no personal price was too high. He risked his life, that of his family, and those who were close to him to bring about change in a positive direction for our benefit. He spoke truth to power in an unfaltering voice. His life was taken from him and from us in the midst of fighting for our right to human dignity.
Yet, the lyrics of the Last Poet's "Niggas are Scared of Revolution" were right: "Niggas loved to hear Malcolm rap, but that didn't love Malcolm." We did not share his commitment to his vision for our future, as much as we could see it, we were not prepared to pay as he did to attain it. His greatest lesson was not returned in kind, but from his example we should learn to love each other (abusua ye dom) and be committed to working for our collective best interests (ujima) no matter what the odds, no matter what the consequences just as he did.
Q)It's likely that Hagan may decide to write a book and/or go on Oprah to tell his side of the story. Would this be disrespectful to Malcolm's legacy or a step in the right direction to heal the past?
A) Hagan was an agent of white supremacy, nothing more. In this regard he is neither unique nor historic. In some ways, he was a victim. The victim of a society that created a set of oppressive circumstances that ended with historically tragic consequences. How then was Hagan an agent of white supremacy?
White supremacy is a myth, but it is a myth acted out. Because it is a construction of ideas and beliefs anyone can be a white supremacist or act as an agent of white supremacy. In fact, adherence to white supremacist ideas is often a coping tactic African Americans use to assuage the mental anguish of living in a white supremacist society. Doing so creates what Amos Wilson called "false consciousness." If we could imagine cellular DNA for a moment as a set of instructions that the cell refers to in order to carry out its functions and then draw an analogy to our historical memory as a sort of DNA or blueprint, then you can see very readily where by changing all or part of the DNA you can change the function of the cell. You can achieve the same result in humans through the manipulation of our historical memory – our set of instructions that tell us who we are and who we are in relationship to each other and the rest of the world; it identifies family and friends, allies, and enemies; it tells of us triumphs and tragedies and may even suggest how to achieve or avoid them. Our memories thus tempered with we are ready prey to all manner of propaganda and deception. This combined with repeated manifestations of white power and a willingness to use it against us or anyone deemed an enemy, real or perceived, we often attempt to adopt white supremacist ideology as a camouflage; some of us in our thinking behave like the chameleon situationally switching colors to blend into the social environment. Others reject our true identity out of hand, a consequence of decades of negative socialization towards things African that includes almost constant and perpetual psychological conditioning to devalue anything associated with Africanity. Our great hope is to avoid a confrontation with white supremacists (our ultimate fear is confrontation with white people) but in embracing white supremacist ideology we take on a pathological mode of thinking and behaving that is inherently antagonistic and deeply harmful. Living in such a society causes our people deep mental anguish and consequent psychological dysfunction, which is manifest in our decision-making, self-conception, self-negation, reference group identification, social anxieties, and values. Many of our patterns of substance abuse, suicide, and fratricide, are linked to lingering trauma from the past and neglect and abuse in the present. Thus, Hagan could have been any number of our people. Certainly, there were many others who feared Malcolm X or more appropriately who feared his ideas and beliefs and what, if carried to their logical conclusion, they would mean. Perhaps one day he will tell his side of the story and something meaningful will come out of it, but in the meantime we should not waste time fretting over what he might or might not do. We should continue to build on Malcolm X's work.
Q)Its been a couple generations since Malcolm's death... do you think the Black community will forgive him?
A) Again, I neither think that the Black community has a love affair with Malcolm X nor do I think Hagan should be treated as a historic figure; again, he was acting as an agent of white supremacy. Those in our community with the sense enough to love and appreciate brother Malcolm will govern themselves based on their particular values and morals as it relates to such matters, but my great hope is that rather than focusing on Hagan, we use this as an opportunity to teach about Brother Malcolm and to continue his important work.
Dr. Charles Johnson is an Assistant Professor in the Howard University History Department who focuses on African Diaspora Studies with a focus on Twentieth Century Protest Movements. You can reach him at charles.johnson@zucille.com
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