In my living room, I have two pictures on the wall. One is an image of Muhammad Ali standing over an opponent, and the other is a portrait of Malcolm X. These are my two greatest heroes and models of inspiration. My connection to Ali is that he happens to be my second cousin by marriage, and I often read about his life to understand how a black man can overcome challenges and controversy while remaining committed to the truth.
Malcolm takes us all to a different level with his legendary work. His message has become a resounding permeation into the psyche of African Americans to this day and his spirit is alive and stronger than ever. One of the challenges, however, is that many of us are still not aware of exactly how Malcolm died and not even completely familiar with how he lived.
The most recent controversy involves Thomas Hagan (aka Talmadge X Hayer), who was just released from prison for the 1965 murder of Malcolm X. Hagan’s release has led to some outrage by those who wonder if he’d been shown such leniency if he’d killed an iconic white figure. Of course the answer is no, but Malcolm’s legacy has never been given the respect it deserves. What percentage of Americans remember Malcolm’s birthday they way they remember that of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr? I rest my case.
But the apparent leniency shown toward Hagan is a non-issue, mainly because Islam teaches us to forgive (I am not a Muslim). Also, 44 years in prison is worse than the electric chair, since instant death is not nearly as painful as a long, unfulfilled life of regret. At the same time, one could argue that since Hagan was given work release in 1992 (where he was able to stay at home for five days a week), he has been a free man for nearly 20 years anyway. Regardless, punishing this man doesn’t bring Malcolm back, and I am firmly convinced that he is a different human-being than he was four decades ago (wouldn’t we all be?).
But Hagan’s release has yet to simplify a complex and persistent fact: No one really knows exactly what happened to Malcolm X. If it is indeed the case that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and other Nation of Islam leadership were directly or indirectly responsible for Malcolm’s death, I would have hoped that these details would keep the 25-year old Hagan and the other two alleged assailants from going to prison all alone. Many of us have seen how leaders of religious movements can have a powerful, almost magical grip on the psyches of their young followers, leading them to do things that they might not otherwise do. The volatile attacks of the right wing on President Obama show that even if a direct order is not given, inflammatory language can lead the most radical followers to unsolicited action. Had Hagan been specifically ordered not to harm Malcolm, there is a good chance that he would not have done so.
There is also the persistent possibility that the federal government may have opened the door for Malcolm to be killed. We can’t put this past our federal authorities, since they’ve done worse in the US and other countries. The government’s consistent surveillance of Malcolm and labeling of him as an enemy of the state allowed for a laundry list of explanations for why he could have been killed. The rift with the Nation of Islam would have been the perfect opportunity to have Malcolm murdered while keeping their own hands clean. The problem with fully understanding Malcolm’s death is that there was a substantial number of enemies who would have benefited from seeing him leave the earth. What’s most true is that none of those suspected of playing a role in the death of Malcolm considered the will of the people to be more important than their own selfish agenda. That tells us something about leadership.
The bottom line is that I really want to know the true story of Malcolm X, in both his life and his death. I do not believe that Thomas Hagan shot Malcolm under his own will. I believe that Hagan was influenced by inflammatory language used against Malcolm by more senior leaders of the Nation of Islam. My immense respect for Louis Farrakhan does not mean that I believe that members of the Nation of Islam, nor any of us, are above the things that make men want to hurt each other. It’s undeniable that many senior members of the nation wanted to hurt Malcolm X at that time.
Yet I wonder if there is more to the story about why Malcolm left the Nation of Islam in the first place. I honestly question the oft-cited tale of Malcolm being appalled by the hypocrisy of Elijah Muhammad becoming involved with young women. I truly believe that Malcolm may have known about the other women all along, and had deeper reasons for losing trust in his leader. History is not as simple as we want to make it out to be, and neither Malcolm X nor Elijah Muhammad were perfect.
The bottom line about the release of Thomas Hagan is that this is the right time for him to be let out of prison. He regrets what he did, and although he stole a piece of us all with his actions, the truth is that it is alright to forgive him. Not only does the death of Malcolm take a piece of my soul, but the fact that we will never know all the circumstances surrounding Malcolm’s life and death continue to haunt me. But Malcolm’s finite existence as a man has been replaced by his perpetual presence as one of the greatest figures in world history. Malcolm lives to this day and his legacy will continue to grow.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the initiator of the National Conversation on Race. For more information, please visit BoyceWatkins.com>
