Source: Les Payne. The Dead Are Arising - The Life of Malcolm X (2020)
After his arrest at the police station, Malcolm was respectful and accommodating, knowing in this instance that he didn’t hold any of the cards, especially since he told the police in the pawn shop that he was armed. The police didn’t see a criminal ring leader in that instance, they saw a scared African-American kid. However, a search of Jarvis’ apartment revealed a stash of stolen goods, and he was arrested as well. Both Malcolm and Jarvis were held on $10k bail, where they awaited trial for breaking and entering.
Their trial occurred on 26 February 1946 in the Middlesex County Courthouse, where they both pleaded guilty to the burglaries they committed. What angered the powers-that-be in the county courthouse was that white girls had been hanging around and doing the bidding of the young African-American men. Each was sentenced to 8 - 10 years in prison for each count to run concurrently, while Beatrice was only sentenced to 7 months in jail. Malcolm was stunned that he would spend a minimum of 5.5 years in prison.
Their trial occurred on 26 February 1946 in the Middlesex County Courthouse, where they both pleaded guilty to the burglaries they committed. What angered the powers-that-be in the county courthouse was that white girls had been hanging around and doing the bidding of the young African-American men. Each was sentenced to 8 - 10 years in prison for each count to run concurrently, while Beatrice was only sentenced to 7 months in jail. Malcolm was stunned that he would spend a minimum of 5.5 years in prison.
On 27 February 1946, Malcolm heard the finality of a prison gate closed behind him as he started his sentence in the maximum security Charleston State Prison (it was the same prison where Sacco and Vanzetti were executed in 1927).. Convict Malcolm Little was just a couple months shy of his 21st birthday, and he would spend that day in one of the oldest American prisons, which was modeled after the Bastille. Malcolm’s demeanor dramatically changed, in that he was no longer the happy-go-lucky street hustler, but now the incarcerated convict in a maximum security prison. His extroverted life was taken from him, and his introverted self became more prominent.
Also affecting his demeanor was withdrawal from drugs and three packs of cigarettes a day. Finding cigarettes came easily enough, but finding substitutes for the drugs proved to be very difficult. Malcolm, refusing to see that it was his decisions/actions that put him in prison, believed that his harsh sentence was payback for hanging out with white women. While Malcom basically understood why Beatrice had sold him out, he still naively believed that she and her wealthy friends would in some way come to his rescue. Malcolm and Jarvis had a second trial coming up on another round of burglaries, and again both pled guilty - no time was added to their existing concurrent sentences.
Also affecting his demeanor was withdrawal from drugs and three packs of cigarettes a day. Finding cigarettes came easily enough, but finding substitutes for the drugs proved to be very difficult. Malcolm, refusing to see that it was his decisions/actions that put him in prison, believed that his harsh sentence was payback for hanging out with white women. While Malcom basically understood why Beatrice had sold him out, he still naively believed that she and her wealthy friends would in some way come to his rescue. Malcolm and Jarvis had a second trial coming up on another round of burglaries, and again both pled guilty - no time was added to their existing concurrent sentences.
It was during the second trial that Malcolm realized that Beatrice et al would never be of any assistance. While not on the record in the court proceedings, Malcolm lashed out at Beatrice as she testified, yelling and screaming things which he hoped would show she was far more involved than the claimed. That sense of betrayal almost certainly played a role in his decision to reinvent himself while in prison. Ella was among the first to visit Malcolm in prison, and she was still beyond-angry at the length of his sentence, believing that a much lesser sentence would have scared him straight.
It didn’t take Malcolm long to figure out ways to acquire illegal drugs in prison, in part using corrupt guards. In his quest for attention and respect in prison, he cursed the Bible, Christianity, and verbally lashed out as often as possible, finding any way to disturb the peace on the cell block. Malcolm’s anti-religious rants earned him the nickname “Satan” from his fellow convicts. When Malcolm was at Charleston, the prison population was 85% white, which initially limited Malcolm’s habit of talking to anyone he pleased in any manner he pleased, regardless of race.
It was coming to know a fellow prisoner by the name of John Bembry, who was very well-read and loved rhetoric, that Malcolm realized that he could gain respect using the power of words. It was nothing short of a revelation, and Malcolm started to figure out ways to “weaponize” words to gain respect in prison . . . fighting his demons was put off for future years. Malcolm noticed that Bembry’s rhetoric was based on facts, history, statistics, etc., and Bembry had the gift of simplifying complex ideas. Bembry was the one that, in private, encouraged Malcolm to use his brain to improve and transform himself.
It didn’t take Malcolm long to figure out ways to acquire illegal drugs in prison, in part using corrupt guards. In his quest for attention and respect in prison, he cursed the Bible, Christianity, and verbally lashed out as often as possible, finding any way to disturb the peace on the cell block. Malcolm’s anti-religious rants earned him the nickname “Satan” from his fellow convicts. When Malcolm was at Charleston, the prison population was 85% white, which initially limited Malcolm’s habit of talking to anyone he pleased in any manner he pleased, regardless of race.
It was coming to know a fellow prisoner by the name of John Bembry, who was very well-read and loved rhetoric, that Malcolm realized that he could gain respect using the power of words. It was nothing short of a revelation, and Malcolm started to figure out ways to “weaponize” words to gain respect in prison . . . fighting his demons was put off for future years. Malcolm noticed that Bembry’s rhetoric was based on facts, history, statistics, etc., and Bembry had the gift of simplifying complex ideas. Bembry was the one that, in private, encouraged Malcolm to use his brain to improve and transform himself.
While Malcolm started to in essence become a prison academic, he realized that his family, Ella and his siblings, were no longer visiting or writing, and that he had backed himself into a corner with no way out. Malcolm finally took Hilda’s advice (his sister) and took a correspondence course in English, and his desire for book-learning became rekindled, with added encouragement from Bembry. Malcolm’s desire for education this time around was cemented on the belief that it would allow him to wield power in prison and to distinguish himself in the population. Malcolm became a prison-scholar, avoiding manual labor whenever possible.
With Bembry’s guidance and Hilda’s encouragement, Malcolm read a range from Shakespeare to Aesop. Malcolm used his street rhetoric as a baseline, but he was learning what to add to that rhythm and sound, using metaphors, similes, and analogies; Aesop’s Fables were very helpful in that regard. With his photographic memory, Malcolm was developing a swift literary sword that could defeat any enemy on the debate battlefield. Malcolm was close to reaching a point, however, when he would reach his limit on what Charleston had available to read, and by the Fall of 1946, he hit that brick wall. When he hit that wall, Malcolm looked inward and asked himself this question: I’m using by brain, but to what useful purpose?
With Bembry’s guidance and Hilda’s encouragement, Malcolm read a range from Shakespeare to Aesop. Malcolm used his street rhetoric as a baseline, but he was learning what to add to that rhythm and sound, using metaphors, similes, and analogies; Aesop’s Fables were very helpful in that regard. With his photographic memory, Malcolm was developing a swift literary sword that could defeat any enemy on the debate battlefield. Malcolm was close to reaching a point, however, when he would reach his limit on what Charleston had available to read, and by the Fall of 1946, he hit that brick wall. When he hit that wall, Malcolm looked inward and asked himself this question: I’m using by brain, but to what useful purpose?
Malcolm wanted to be transferred to Norfolk, a prison to which Jarvis had been transferred, in large part because that prison’s library war far superior to Charleston’s. During his stay in Charleston, a person with which he had crossed paths in his street life (both had the memory of the other permanently imprinted), visited Malcolm in prison. When he first met him, he was a very religious African-American Muslim who wore a fez. While Malcolm was impressed with his demeanor and presence, he dismissed his religious beliefs. However, on this occasion, Malcolm was receptive to what the man had to say, and he was even more impressed by the attention and respect the man received in his fez and facial hair. Malcolm tucked those images of the man away in his memory.
Malcolm started to write Ella, trying to get her interested in his well-being again. What he wanted was for Ella to use her influence to get him transferred to Norfolk. In January 1947, Malcolm was indeed transferred, not to Norfolk ut to the Concord Reformatory, 25 miles from Boston. Concord was a much smaller facility than Charleston and Norfolk, and it was a medium security prison. Concord, while founded in 1878, had much nicer conditions than Charleston (e.g. toilets in the cells instead of buckets). At Concord, Malcolm was able to use his height, age, and demeanor to his advantage, in that he was no longer surrounded by hardcore criminals. Malcolm kept pursuing his education, and he also became addicted to sports gambling. On 15 April 1947, Jackie Robinson made his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and Malcolm never forgot the sensation that event made in prison - Malcolm became one of Robinson’s most fanatic fans.
Malcolm started to write Ella, trying to get her interested in his well-being again. What he wanted was for Ella to use her influence to get him transferred to Norfolk. In January 1947, Malcolm was indeed transferred, not to Norfolk ut to the Concord Reformatory, 25 miles from Boston. Concord was a much smaller facility than Charleston and Norfolk, and it was a medium security prison. Concord, while founded in 1878, had much nicer conditions than Charleston (e.g. toilets in the cells instead of buckets). At Concord, Malcolm was able to use his height, age, and demeanor to his advantage, in that he was no longer surrounded by hardcore criminals. Malcolm kept pursuing his education, and he also became addicted to sports gambling. On 15 April 1947, Jackie Robinson made his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and Malcolm never forgot the sensation that event made in prison - Malcolm became one of Robinson’s most fanatic fans.
Malcolm read everything he could, and he wrote letters far into the night, working hard to repair (or try to repair) the damage he had done to his family. His younger brother, Reginald, wrote Malcolm saying that if he gave up cigarettes and stopped eating pork, he would show Malcolm how to get out of prison as early as possible. The less-zealous brother (compared to Philbert) knew what buttons to push on Malcolm, featuring in his letter that he would introduce him to the “Religion for the Black Man”, and Malcolm pondered what his brother meant by that phrase.
It was the oldest brother, Wilfred, who yet again was defending the rights of his fellow employees with his white bosses, was asked by a fellow employee if he was a Muslim. Wilfred had no idea what the question entailed, but he was told that he mirrored the virtues and behaviors of a stand-up Muslim. Wilfred was curious, so he attended his first meeting of the Nation of Islam with a friend in Detroit. After his initial skepticism, Wilfred decided to not only join the NOI, but to also see if he could improve the organization.
It was the oldest brother, Wilfred, who yet again was defending the rights of his fellow employees with his white bosses, was asked by a fellow employee if he was a Muslim. Wilfred had no idea what the question entailed, but he was told that he mirrored the virtues and behaviors of a stand-up Muslim. Wilfred was curious, so he attended his first meeting of the Nation of Islam with a friend in Detroit. After his initial skepticism, Wilfred decided to not only join the NOI, but to also see if he could improve the organization.