Paul V McNutt
Banned
The new biography says that the New York Police knew about the plot against him. What if they arrested the ploters. So Malcom goes on. What does he do?
Malcom X lives
- Thread starter Paul V McNutt
- Start date
Well, the obvious first question is whether that would halt the Nation of Islam's efforts to kill him; the NoI had been after him for a while, and having one plot foiled might stop them from trying again. It's entirely possible we could end up with a second-order counterfactual, with Malcolm X just killed by a car bomb a month after his OTL death instead.
If the assassination attempts come to an end, then the question of how springs to mind; does the NoI make peace with Malcolm X, or do their efforts to kill him result in loss of support and/or a police crackdown.
As for Malcom X himself, by all indications his views had begun turning more moderate after his pilgrimmage to Mecca, and the implementation of Civil Rights legislation (which was only just beginning at the time of his death) will probably help that. The effects of a surviving and increasingly moderate Malcom X on the development of African-American culture could be quite significant, especially if King's assassination isn't butterflied away.
If the assassination attempts come to an end, then the question of how springs to mind; does the NoI make peace with Malcolm X, or do their efforts to kill him result in loss of support and/or a police crackdown.
As for Malcom X himself, by all indications his views had begun turning more moderate after his pilgrimmage to Mecca, and the implementation of Civil Rights legislation (which was only just beginning at the time of his death) will probably help that. The effects of a surviving and increasingly moderate Malcom X on the development of African-American culture could be quite significant, especially if King's assassination isn't butterflied away.
Expand on your comment DuQuense please.
My views:
I don't see how Malcolm X's survival would have butterflied away the bigger picture aka MLK's assassination and the subsequent race riots of 1968.
After the fires of the riots had died down, it still took another decade before blacks in America began to emerge into mainstream middle class. That trend, along with all the demographics that come along with it (increased salary, education, less children etc) has continued a very slow but steady increase in the numbers escaping inner city with notable exceptions such as South Chicago. Even The Bronx and to a lesser extent Watts is experiencing a sort of gentrification.
So many events overtook the splintered Civil Rights movement after MLK's death and the passage of the Civil Rights Act. Vietnam and America's guilt afterwards, globalisation, terrorism, Militant political Islam and the Cold War getting warmer in the 80s to name a few helped push the movement under the bubbling surface. Notables such as Jesse Jackson and Louis Farrakhan struggled to keep the cause and their names known as more than simple cliche and derision - even amongst other blacks.
The positives that I can think of had he lived is that perhaps America in the 70s would have become more aware of Africa's plight and especially that of the blacks in S Africa under Apartheid. This may have led to bringing forward of sanctions although as with Reagan I think that S Africa's staunch anti-Sovietism and covert friendship with Israel could have caused this to meet with the same presidential Veto as in 1986 (especially if Kissinger is in the picture).
The other positive perhaps is that he fosters a growing Sunni Muslim community in the USA and this causes a softening perception of the more militant arms of Islam globally though I think this may be a stretch. We'd have to butterfly away so many events in the Middle East for this to have a real effect.
I think that Malcolm Little/Shabazz would have had the same struggle for relevence as other black leaders did post-MLK and post-Vietnam.
Could Malcolm X lead a lot of people out of the Nation of Islam into mainstream Islam if he lives longer?
I think that this is a distinct possibility. I'd go further and state that Malcolm X could have defined what it meant to be an American-Sunni Muslim. Sunni Islam in America would have had a larger following though to what extent I don't know. What would have been so interesting is if Malcolm X made inroads with the disaffected southern Blacks by converting people away from Southern Gospel to Southern Muslim.
Mr X was a major proponent of the Self Suffisentcy Movement. Pointing out several time in his speeches -That American Blacks were the 7th largest Economy in the world.
Mr X was a Major Supporter of Black Education.
However Mr X was a major opponent of Blacks accepting Government Welfare, and of Black Flight.
Put these 4 together, and what ever Movement he heads, the Inner City Blacks end up better off.
I may have skimmed past someone already bringing it up, but didn't Malcolm X form an organization to help blacks that crumbled after his death?
I have to agree there; Malcolm X could head off a lot of the less than positive elements within Inner City Black culture, and he would definitely lash out against the anti-education sentiment that started growing within the Black youth community.
Malcolm X does have two big advantages over other post-1968 civil rights leader; first off, he already has massive name recognition, and without King he would probably be the undisputed leader of the Black movement. He also already had a firm platform for keeping the movement alive after the government adopted civil rights laws, by shifting to economic issues.
Yes, he did have name recognition but he definitely did not enjoy popularity inside the mainstream in the civil right's movement or with the public at large. As I've pointed out (not particularly well mind you) he would have to make inroads into the more mainstream disaffects in order to keep some sort of movement of permanent organization alive.
Perhaps a good TL where Malcolm X makes a huge difference is one where:
1) He lives (obviously)
2) He follows the same pattern of other charismatic religious leaders and converts more people to Sunni Islam
OR
3) He converts to a more mainstream Christian sect in order to help blacks in both the inner-city and the South.
4) He builds bridges with the white Liberal left in America in the 70s
DeQuense - do you know of any black education leaders he was friends with or shared views with? I'd love to read interviews and see their pov of Malcolm X - especially post Nation of Islam.