Source: Les Payne. The Dead Are Arising - The Life of Malcolm X (2020)
Addendum: The Birth of the Nation of Islam . . .
In 1947, both Philbert and Reginald wrote Malcolm in prison (the Concord Reformatory), urging him to join the Nation of Islam (NOI). They couldn’t provide many details, not even the name of the NOI, since they knew prisoner’s letters were read by prison authorities before they were delivered. The initial stumbling block for Malcolm was the NOI tenet that he white man was the Devil.
Ella’s persistence paid off, in that Malcolm was transferred to the Norfolk Prison Colony in March 1948. Soon thereafter, Reginald visited Malcolm to tell him far more about the NOI. Reginald started to convince Malcolm that whites weren’t nearly as benevolent as Malcolm believed. Reginald used such examples as what the New Haven Railroad did, showing Malcolm that African-American employees only received the “crumbs” from what Malcolm thought was revenue sharing.
After several visits from Reginald, Malcolm started to receive, almost every day, letters and literature about Elijah Muhammad (EM) and his “True Knowledge”, arguing that whites had rewritten history to the point where African-Americans simply didn’t know about their origin and identity, especially that the came first, long before whites. Malcolm thought about all of this, and encouraged by his family, directly wrote EM, who responded with far more information than had been previously sent.
Ella’s persistence paid off, in that Malcolm was transferred to the Norfolk Prison Colony in March 1948. Soon thereafter, Reginald visited Malcolm to tell him far more about the NOI. Reginald started to convince Malcolm that whites weren’t nearly as benevolent as Malcolm believed. Reginald used such examples as what the New Haven Railroad did, showing Malcolm that African-American employees only received the “crumbs” from what Malcolm thought was revenue sharing.
After several visits from Reginald, Malcolm started to receive, almost every day, letters and literature about Elijah Muhammad (EM) and his “True Knowledge”, arguing that whites had rewritten history to the point where African-Americans simply didn’t know about their origin and identity, especially that the came first, long before whites. Malcolm thought about all of this, and encouraged by his family, directly wrote EM, who responded with far more information than had been previously sent.
Malcolm soon reached the point where he became very frustrated that he couldn’t properly express himself about what he was feeling with the written word, so he joined the prison’s debate team, which actually competed against MIT, Yale, and Harvard. In the process, Malcolm developed world-class debating skills which would power his rise in Harlem, then in New England, then in the US, and then globally. Malcolm started to protest for better Muslim prisoner’s rights, such as food, and cells that faced East. In 1950, Malcolm was transferred back to Charleston, and back to hard time in a maximum security prison.
During June 1950, Malcolm drew the attention of the FBI when he directly wrote President Truman in opposition to the Korean War, while also claiming to be a Communist that tried to join the Japanese army during WW II. It was during this timeframe that he started to sign his letters to Reginald “Malcolm X Little”, for the first time using the NOI’s “X” as a partial substitute for his last name. Malcolm (and Jarvis) was up for parole, and he asked Wilfred for advice on how to pass muster with the parole board. Wilfred told Malcolm to read the book “How to Win Friends and Influence People”, so he would know the kinds of things the white parole board wanted to hear. Jarvis read the book, Malcolm refused, not even taking a glance at the book, planning on “telling those folks off”; Jarvis was paroled, Malcolm was turned down, having to serve at least another year in prison.
During June 1950, Malcolm drew the attention of the FBI when he directly wrote President Truman in opposition to the Korean War, while also claiming to be a Communist that tried to join the Japanese army during WW II. It was during this timeframe that he started to sign his letters to Reginald “Malcolm X Little”, for the first time using the NOI’s “X” as a partial substitute for his last name. Malcolm (and Jarvis) was up for parole, and he asked Wilfred for advice on how to pass muster with the parole board. Wilfred told Malcolm to read the book “How to Win Friends and Influence People”, so he would know the kinds of things the white parole board wanted to hear. Jarvis read the book, Malcolm refused, not even taking a glance at the book, planning on “telling those folks off”; Jarvis was paroled, Malcolm was turned down, having to serve at least another year in prison.
During the next year, Wilfred convinced Malcolm to let the book (“How to Win Friends . . .”) serve as a supplementary Bible for awhile, advising Malcolm that if he wanted out of prison (and to be successful afterwards), he’d have to learn how to deal with and talk to people. The difference in the external shell of Malcolm was a “180”; those in the prison that dealt with him were pleasantly shocked, and he was paroled in August 1952.
Wilfred arranged to have Malcolm live with him and his wife, and he arranged for a sales job for Malcolm where he worked. Soon after, Malcolm and his brothers drove to Chicago to see EM preach, and Malcolm returned to Detroit, determined to recruit new members to the NOI. When his parole ended in 1953, Malcolm became an assistant minister in the Detroit temple. Malcolm soon was working for the temple full-time, and he frequently traveled to Chicago to be “instructed” by EM.
Malcolm X (I’ll now start to refer to him by that name) had a lot of energy, which attracted some, and turned others against him, especially at NOI HQ in Chicago. Malcolm X had a habit of “calling out” those that didn’t adhere to the strict standards of the NOI, and he was wildly successful in recruiting new members, making others in the NOI look bad in comparison. Malcolm X would automatically tell anyone that had violated a rule that they had done so, which was off-putting to say the least. It reached the point in late-1953 that many in the Detroit temple complained to EM about Malcolm X that “The Messenger” (EM) told Malcolm X to leave Detroit. EM didn’t want Malcolm X to speak in any of the first seven “Founding Temples”, since they were started by EM and his people, and those temples would not take kindly to Malcolm X’s ways.
Wilfred arranged to have Malcolm live with him and his wife, and he arranged for a sales job for Malcolm where he worked. Soon after, Malcolm and his brothers drove to Chicago to see EM preach, and Malcolm returned to Detroit, determined to recruit new members to the NOI. When his parole ended in 1953, Malcolm became an assistant minister in the Detroit temple. Malcolm soon was working for the temple full-time, and he frequently traveled to Chicago to be “instructed” by EM.
Malcolm X (I’ll now start to refer to him by that name) had a lot of energy, which attracted some, and turned others against him, especially at NOI HQ in Chicago. Malcolm X had a habit of “calling out” those that didn’t adhere to the strict standards of the NOI, and he was wildly successful in recruiting new members, making others in the NOI look bad in comparison. Malcolm X would automatically tell anyone that had violated a rule that they had done so, which was off-putting to say the least. It reached the point in late-1953 that many in the Detroit temple complained to EM about Malcolm X that “The Messenger” (EM) told Malcolm X to leave Detroit. EM didn’t want Malcolm X to speak in any of the first seven “Founding Temples”, since they were started by EM and his people, and those temples would not take kindly to Malcolm X’s ways.
The seven NOI temples on the East Coast were disorganized and undisciplined, including Boston, NYC, and Philadelphia. Reginald had been the minister in the Harlem Temple #7 until EM removed him for adultery, which would drip of irony and worse in the upcoming years given the behavior of EM. Elijah Muhammad gave Malcolm X his choice of any of those seven East Coast temples, and he chose Boston, and by December 1954, EM dubbed Boston as Temple #11 in the NOI, and soon, under Malcolm X’s guidance, Philadelphia became Temple #12.
In 1954, Malcolm X became the minister of the Harlem Temple #7, and although Harlem was his base, he traveled often to the temples in Boston and Philadelphia, as well as other cities with “developing temples”. When recruits for the “Fruit of Islam" (FOI), the NOI’s security force, approached fifty in a temple, that meant that EM could use them to extract as much revenue as possible to be sent to HQ in Chicago. EM just sat back and watched the profits roll in while Malcolm X was doing the heavy-lifting to make that happen.
The rise of the NOI was greeted with alarm in the FBI, with each NOI temple was registered as a hate group, and preparations made for infiltration and disruption . . . and Malcolm X was to be under surveillance. To FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover (and city police forces), groups like the NOI represented a threat to the peace in inner-cities as well to white dominance. On 10 January 1955, Malcolm X was summoned for a personal interview by the FBI, and he denied that he was a leader of any of the NOI temples. Malcolm X told subordinates to stonewall the FBI by saying that Islam was a a religion of peace.
In 1954, Malcolm X became the minister of the Harlem Temple #7, and although Harlem was his base, he traveled often to the temples in Boston and Philadelphia, as well as other cities with “developing temples”. When recruits for the “Fruit of Islam" (FOI), the NOI’s security force, approached fifty in a temple, that meant that EM could use them to extract as much revenue as possible to be sent to HQ in Chicago. EM just sat back and watched the profits roll in while Malcolm X was doing the heavy-lifting to make that happen.
The rise of the NOI was greeted with alarm in the FBI, with each NOI temple was registered as a hate group, and preparations made for infiltration and disruption . . . and Malcolm X was to be under surveillance. To FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover (and city police forces), groups like the NOI represented a threat to the peace in inner-cities as well to white dominance. On 10 January 1955, Malcolm X was summoned for a personal interview by the FBI, and he denied that he was a leader of any of the NOI temples. Malcolm X told subordinates to stonewall the FBI by saying that Islam was a a religion of peace.
Malcolm X increased his rhetoric and commitment against lynching and for self-defense. Where EM just used the “Big Picture” (generalizations) in his rhetoric against lynching, Malcolm X used history and statistics, using an airtight intellectual approach, which at the very least made Malcolm X more palatable and believable to middle class African-Americans and intellectuals. EM was not educated and preferred low-verbal communication, and compared to Malcolm X, he appeared to be an illiterate of sorts. Malcolm X took his recruiting efforts to another level by attracting more educated members.
Rumors (which were 100% accurate) were already spreading that “The Messenger” (EM) was a regular violator of the very NOI tenets he preached, such as not eating pork, but he had bacon for breakfast every morning. EM engaged in the same behaviors that led to the ouster of temple leaders/members, such as Reginald. In contrast, Malcolm X was universally viewed as the best example of the NOI aesthetic, and he was 100% loyal to EM (which would start to change in 1961).
Malcolm X directed “high value” recruits to Chicago to see EM, and “The Messenger” in effect brainwashed them to be in his fold, which would eventually lead to negative consequences for Malcolm X. Educated African-American women, recruited by Malcolm X, were kept in Chicago, where as early as 1955, EM had extramarital affairs with his personal “secretaries”, in direct violation of NOI principles. Malcolm X simply dismissed the rumors and charges as heresy against EM. To Malcolm X, EM was a surrogate father, and he simply wouldn’t see EM in any other perspective than with rose-colored glasses. Years later, Malcolm X admitted that he totally and absolutely ignored his own intelligence concerning Elijah Muhammad. At that point in time, though, Malcolm X’s insane workload kept him too busy to even think about the rumors of EM’s behavior.
Rumors (which were 100% accurate) were already spreading that “The Messenger” (EM) was a regular violator of the very NOI tenets he preached, such as not eating pork, but he had bacon for breakfast every morning. EM engaged in the same behaviors that led to the ouster of temple leaders/members, such as Reginald. In contrast, Malcolm X was universally viewed as the best example of the NOI aesthetic, and he was 100% loyal to EM (which would start to change in 1961).
Malcolm X directed “high value” recruits to Chicago to see EM, and “The Messenger” in effect brainwashed them to be in his fold, which would eventually lead to negative consequences for Malcolm X. Educated African-American women, recruited by Malcolm X, were kept in Chicago, where as early as 1955, EM had extramarital affairs with his personal “secretaries”, in direct violation of NOI principles. Malcolm X simply dismissed the rumors and charges as heresy against EM. To Malcolm X, EM was a surrogate father, and he simply wouldn’t see EM in any other perspective than with rose-colored glasses. Years later, Malcolm X admitted that he totally and absolutely ignored his own intelligence concerning Elijah Muhammad. At that point in time, though, Malcolm X’s insane workload kept him too busy to even think about the rumors of EM’s behavior.
Malcolm X’s success in building up NOI temples had already attracted the notice (and competitive ire) ofDr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK). Malcolm X was also going up against all of mainstream Islam globally, which viewed the NOI as blasphemous, not real Islam. EM was desperate to keep secret that the original founder (Fard) was a white man, so he kept weaving a tapestry of mysticism designed to misdirect.
During July 1959, Malcolm X became known outside of the NOI when he was featured in a NYC TV channel documentary titled “The Hate That Hate Produced”, which was produced by Mike Wallace. EM agreed to be featured on the documentary, but only if African-American TV reporters asked the questions. Malcolm X was interviewed after EM, and by then he was in effect the NOI spokesperson. Malcolm X asserted that whites had never done anything but “evil” to African-Americans. The documentary also featured the menacing quasi-military Fruit of Islam (FOI) undergoing defense training. All of what the documentary featured was beyond-shocking to white viewers in the late-1950s.
During July 1959, Malcolm X became known outside of the NOI when he was featured in a NYC TV channel documentary titled “The Hate That Hate Produced”, which was produced by Mike Wallace. EM agreed to be featured on the documentary, but only if African-American TV reporters asked the questions. Malcolm X was interviewed after EM, and by then he was in effect the NOI spokesperson. Malcolm X asserted that whites had never done anything but “evil” to African-Americans. The documentary also featured the menacing quasi-military Fruit of Islam (FOI) undergoing defense training. All of what the documentary featured was beyond-shocking to white viewers in the late-1950s.
Malcolm X also excoriated such nonviolent Civil Rights groups as the NAACP in the documentary. Where whites were shocked, African-Americans felt uplifted after Malcolm X’s interview. Malcolm X’s charisma and debating skills came through the black-and-white TV, and he became a magnet for the media, and was in huge demand as a campus speaker.
In the aftermath of the documentary, more-and-more African-Americans that were recruited to the NOI saw through EM’s mysticism and fabrications, and by 1960, EM viewed Malcolm X as a threat to him and the NOI. EM was angered when Malcolm X warmly welcomed Fidel Castro (and his beard) when the Cuban leader was in NYC to address the UN. Malcolm X was one of Castro’s first visitors in the Theresa Hotel in Harlem; it was most likely Malcolm X’s idea to have Castro stay in the heart of Harlem, which proved to be a public relations bonanza for both men. EM was already insanely jealous of Malcolm X’s fame in the media, as were his “royal” family; ignored was the reality that Malcolm X was a financial boon to the NOI, from which Em and his family siphoned of money to live like royalty, in violation of the very tenets they espoused.
In the aftermath of the documentary, more-and-more African-Americans that were recruited to the NOI saw through EM’s mysticism and fabrications, and by 1960, EM viewed Malcolm X as a threat to him and the NOI. EM was angered when Malcolm X warmly welcomed Fidel Castro (and his beard) when the Cuban leader was in NYC to address the UN. Malcolm X was one of Castro’s first visitors in the Theresa Hotel in Harlem; it was most likely Malcolm X’s idea to have Castro stay in the heart of Harlem, which proved to be a public relations bonanza for both men. EM was already insanely jealous of Malcolm X’s fame in the media, as were his “royal” family; ignored was the reality that Malcolm X was a financial boon to the NOI, from which Em and his family siphoned of money to live like royalty, in violation of the very tenets they espoused.