18.5: Malcolm X

Malcolm X was tracked by the FBI since before he converted to Islam. Even after he died his viewing and funeral were both visited with bomb threats. He was widely regarded by people both inside and outside of his community of believers as a dangerous man. But Malcolm X did not carry weapons, he directed no army, and on the day he was assassinated he asked his bodyguards to leave their guns at home. What made Malcolm X dangerous was the revolutionary nature of his speech, the power of his thought, his evolving religious conviction, and his deep commitment to the liberation of black people the world over.