Malcolm X, by any means necessary
Before his assassination in 1965, Malcolm X, the spokesman for the Nation of Islam, inspired adoration and fear in the US with his powerful argument for self defence ‘by any means necessary’. For the centenary of Malcom X’s birth, writers in this guest edition explore his legacy as a resistance leader.
Edited by: Colin Grant
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Portrait of a revolutionary
Colin Grant
"His fearlessness was thrilling to black boys schooled to show deference to authority."
WritersMosaic Director Colin Grant revisits the connection between Malcolm X, Roots author Alex Haley and photographer Eve Arnold.
Malcolm X Truth Seeker
Bonnie Greer
"An artist in the creation of a deeper reality."
Writer Bonnie Greer on Malcolm X and his influence on her life as a young girl growing up on Chicago's South Side in the 1960s.
Encountering Malcolm X
Vayu Naidu
"He shaped my thinking of the personal as political."
Storyteller Vayu Naidu looks back at her 12-year-old self in 1969, learning about Malcolm X from her influential school teacher.
Malcolm at the Martyr’s Cafe
Vanessa Kisuule
"You told us not to wait for freedom but to seize it."
Bristol poet Vanessa Kisuule's imagined encounter with her hero Malcolm X in the afterlife at The Martyr's Café.
Malcolm X (and James Baldwin) changed me
Max Farrar
"James Baldwin led me to Malcolm Little. I was surprised to see how sympathetic he was."
Writer and academic Max Farrar reflects on texts by Malcolm X and his daughter that have influenced him over the years.
Straightening out the kinks
Ella Sinclair
"I knew why I straightened my hair and it wasn’t because I wanted to be Black."
Ella Sinclair remembers how she first realised that she didn't need to straighten her hair and the influence of Malcolm X in that decision.
Burn it down: Reading Malcolm X in Rochdale
John Siddique
"Malcolm was a seeker who put the voice of his soul above all outer circumstances."
John Siddique remembers how he first came across Malcolm X's writing and his powerful influence on John's life today as a spiritual teacher.
Living reinvention
Franklin Nelson
"For an unashamedly political testimony the autobiography is also knowingly funny."
Journalist Franklin Nelson on first coming across the work of Malcolm X and how he appreciates its clarity and force today.