Summary—Chapter Twelve: Savior
Yes! Yes, that raping, red-headed devil
was my grandfather! . . . . I hate every
drop of the rapist’s blood that’s in me!
(See Important Quotations Explained)
In August 1952,
the prison releases Malcolm on parole into the custody of his brother
Wilfred. Malcolm buys a wristwatch, a suitcase, and a pair of eyeglasses.
In Detroit, Malcolm instantly appreciates the warmth and order of
Wilfred’s strictly Muslim household. The solidarity and austerity
of his first Nation of Islam temple meeting excites Malcolm. In
Chicago Elijah Muhammad publicly likens Malcolm to the biblical
figure Job, inviting everyone to watch the strength of Malcolm’s
faith now that the safety of prison is gone and he is back out among
the temptations of the real world. At dinner that night, Malcolm
asks Elijah Muhammad about recruitment techniques, as he is eager
to work to attract new members in Detroit. Elijah Muhammad advises
Malcolm to court young people.
In Detroit Malcolm has little luck at first, persuading
only a few neighborhood youth to visit the temple. Over several
months, however, membership triples. During this period, Malcolm
replaces his last name with “X” to represent the unknown African
name he would have had if his ancestors not been kidnapped and enslaved. Malcolm
begins to speak at temple meetings and gains confidence as an orator.
He is surprised, humbled, and flattered when Elijah Muhammad appoints
him as the assistant minister at the Detroit temple.
Malcolm soon learns Elijah Muhammad’s life story. Born
in Georgia in 1897,
Elijah Muhammad was small of stature but bold, especially when it
came to issues of race. He mediated fights between his siblings
and was frank but nonconfrontational with white employers. In 1931,
in Detroit, Elijah Muhammad met Wallace D. Fard, a peddler and self-proclaimed
prophet who converted him to his version of Islam. By the time Fard
disappeared in 1934, Elijah
Muhammad was at the helm of the Nation of Islam. Death threats from
jealous rivals, however, compelled Elijah Muhammad to move himself
and his family from city to city for seven years. He spent time
in prison, supposedly for draft evasion, although he was in fact
too old to serve in the military. Only in the 1940s
did he reclaim his position as the head of the Nation of Islam.
Summary—Chapter Thirteen: Minister Malcolm X
Elijah Muhammad needs ministers for his growing nation,
so Malcolm X quits his job at the Ford Motor Company and begins
extensive training. During this time, Malcolm fully develops his rhetorical
style. When Malcolm is ready, Elijah Muhammad sends him to Boston
to aid in the founding of a temple there. Malcolm visits his old
haunts and tries to convert Shorty, who loves white women and pork
too much to be persuaded. Ella is amazed at Malcolm, and although
she does not convert, she is happy to see he has changed. Once the
Boston temple is up and running, Elijah Muhammad sends Malcolm to
Philadelphia. Early in the summer of 1954, Muhammad
appoints Malcolm to found the small New York Temple. As in Boston,
Malcolm seeks out his old crowd. He discovers that Sammy the Pimp
is dead and that West Indian Archie is dying. The lack
of response to his initial teachings frustrates Malcolm, but he continues,
and the temple grows. Malcolm and his followers develop techniques
for drawing blacks from black nationalist rallies and churches that
advocate a return to Africa. Malcolm has so much luck winning over
Christians that he refines his speaking style with them in mind,
emphasizing Christianity’s role in the oppression of blacks.
In 1956 a
woman named Betty joins the New York temple. For ten years, Malcolm
has been celibate and fully devoted to his work. He hardly courts
Betty, but he approves of her from a distance. Malcolm introduces
Betty to Elijah Muhammad, and then proposes marriage abruptly from
a payphone in Detroit. They marry and settle in Queens, New York,
and have four children while Malcolm is alive; a fifth child is
born after Malcolm’s death.
In 1958,
Malcolm’s half-sister, Ella, converts to the Nation of Islam. The
Nation of Islam gets public recognition when police attack one of
its members. The “Fruit of Islam,” the Nation’s elite youth group,
leads a mass demonstration, standing ominously before the precinct
house where the bleeding victim is being held and then before the
hospital to which Malcolm has demanded the victim be taken. Later,
the Nation of Islam wins $70,000 in
a lawsuit against the city. Malcolm is so busy that the Nation buys
him a car to use for his travel between cities. Having taken a vow
of poverty, Malcolm has access to the Nation’s substantial resources
but personally owns almost nothing. By 1965,
there are sizable temples in Chicago, Detroit, and New York.
