Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Two Important Figures in Black History Remembered..

As we gear up for Malcolm X Day in May, we remember two incredible and impactful lives, separated by several decades: Malcolm X and Dr. Manning Marable. While most in mainstream America today unanimously celebrate Malcolm's contributions to civil rights as we know them today, few understand how the roots of his activism were shaped by his childhood, or recognize his complicated, often controversial role amongst both enemies and allies. Dr. Marable's new book Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention (Viking), released yesterday, April 4, 2011, provides new revelations about the man. An excerpt:
From where the Nation stood in late 1964, the benefits of killing Malcolm outweighed the potentially significant costs. His involvement in publicizing the individual paternity cases of Evelyn Williams and Lucille Rosary, and his success in establishing MMI's connections with internaitonal Islamic organizations, had created a new and threatening situation. (p.423)
Tragically, just 3 days before the release of this historic book, author Dr. Manning Marable, a renown scholar of African American history, passed away on April 1, 2011. Dr. Marable published numerous books on Black history, race, politics and economics over the years. Most famous of these was his 1983 text, How Capitalism Underdeveloped Black America which, though controversial, received widespread critical acclaim and helped to shape a "black capitalism" movement across the nation.



In memoriam, El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (aka Malcolm X) and Dr. Manning Marable.

Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention (Viking, 2011) is now available at the ROMC Library, located on the Terrace Level of the Student Center, through Room T-143.

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