Don Wildman

But boy, are there theories on how that really came to pass and worth investigating.

The autobiography of Malcolm X is published in 1965, which is a remarkable timing of that.

Distributes widely.

It really makes him out to be quite a pop hero.

I remember the book around when I was young, all my sisters reading it in high school.

But after this...

passes, there's an interesting shift there as well.

The nation of Islam becomes increasingly fractured after his death, but that's probably in opposition or at least parallel with the rise of the successes of Martin Luther King's movement, the civil rights movement, right?

Yes.

And his message comes outside the traditional American black church, which Martin Luther King is building his movement from, of course.

That's right.

That's such an interesting parallel.

I'll wrap up with this question.

In your accomplished career, Malcolm X still lives for you, doesn't he?

There you go.

I hope that the audience has taken away from this what a larger world he is even attached to.

I mean, there's such a strong through line to all of this and such organized ideas behind black nationalism that he really sits on top of and interprets for a larger world.

Thank you so much for this conversation.

Professor Clarence Lang is the Susan Welch Dean of the College of the Liberal Arts at Penn State University, professor of American Studies, historian of black history and social movements, author of a number of publications I mentioned.

I'll read a few titles.