Sometimes we have to go digging ourselves in order to gain our own understanding instead of relying on parroted perception. We may find consensus, or we may stumble upon a different perspective. A while back I read The Autobiography of Malcolm X and wanted to discuss my thoughts. The autobiography was released in 1965, retelling events in his life from his early years in the 1920s to his untimely death in 1965. And in reading it, all I could think about was how ain’t ish changed. Y’all ain’t ish changed; at least, not in some pretty interesting ways.

One example of how ain’t ish changed is the ways in which individuals, groups and organizations seen as a threat to the status quo are brought down and how members themselves willingly and unwillingly play a part. These methods tend to involve devised internal division, discrediting, intimidation, and assassination. In The autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm himself takes us through all these methods with an eerie level of self awareness starting with his time in Nation of Islam (NOI). When building NOI programs and hosting events, Malcolm acknowledges how some of the attendees could be infiltrators sent to spy. Not an outlandish idea. They had quickly gotten the attention of the local authorities and media in New York through bold acts against unjust policing, an equally bold stance on Black liberation, and their growing number of supporters; and with that attention, a target was placed on them.

Later on, Malcolm X talks about how he was essentially ostracized from the Nation of Islam through rumors attacking his character which seemingly circulated from people’s jealousy and paranoia. His perceived favoritism from the Honorable Elijah Mohammed and the media as well as misperceptions of his wealth were used to fuel dissent among members. And it is probable that this dissent was stirred or fueled by government plants and provocateurs. It’s actually heartbreaking seeing it play out line by line in the book, reading the praises he spoke of his teacher and chosen family, the caution he took with his position, and the pride in fulfilling duties for the Nation especially when one knows how it turns outs. He explains the ways in which he tried to back off from the spotlight in service to his devotion to the organization and the greater mission as well as his frustration and sadness when none of it mattered in the end. He was excommunicated.

After his departure from NOI, Malcolm X eventually started his own organization, the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU). During this time,he and his family were being followed, receiving death threats,and less conspicuous acts of intimidation which he originally assumed was from his former organization. But as time went on, he also suspected that this, too, could be the work of outside influence, more specifically government involvement. Malcolm grew increasingly uneasy, a change even noted by author Alex Haley who is responsible for interviewing X over the course of years and compiling his autobiography. This highlights the pervasive and sinister effects of psychological warfare. It is designed to throw you off, affect your sleep, your sense of safety your sense of reality, your decision-making, and trust in your allies, but what’s even scarier is without the number of witnesses and evidence, the traits he displayed could have easily been written off today as schizophrenia, psychosis, or some other psychological disorder. Schizophrenia is characterized by ideas of grandeur, paranoia, and aggression things that can be evoked if one was in fact being targeted and can be used to discredit one’s account of the very real things that were happening to them.

Instead, they tried to discredit him in another way, by painting him as a symbol of hate, anger, and ironically racism. In labeling him a villain, it effectively limited the reach of his message due to an almost instinctual defensiveness that causes one to eschew an entire argument based on the perceived character of the speaker. Malcolm X may have used the term “White Devil” a lot, but one of his greatest strengths rested in his ability to articulate cause and effect. That being the cause of the Black man’s strife and how it can lead to anger, hatred, and other ends whether deemed “justifiable” or not. Another strength was his ability to change his view based on new information. After his first trip to Mecca, Malcolm X took on a noticeably less extreme view on interracial relations after experiencing what equality could look like across nations, races, and languages for perhaps the first time in his life. It caused him to reevaluate what he meant by “White Devil”. He concluded that “White Devil” had little to do with skin color, but mentality. It describes those who uphold White supremacy and deny the Black man’s humanity. And he understood in a global context that anyone’s humanity can be denied. In one of my favorite quotes by Malcolm X, he eloquently states “I am for truth, no matter who tells it. I am for justice no matter who it’s for or against. I am a human being first and foremost, and as such I am for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.”

It’s this Malcolm that often gets buried by media of all colors. The persona they gave him was something he couldn’t shake. Not in his lifetime nor after. He pretty accurately predicts how he would be remembered posthumously in saying “You watch. I will be labeled, at best, as an irresponsible black man” when referring to his leadership. And so it became. To this day, Malcolm is often compared to Martin Luther King as two major civil rights figures symbolizing violence versus peace, respectively. However, I find that to be a gross oversimplification. El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz was a master teacher and life-long student. His tongue lashed like a double edged sword, but behind the sharpness of his words were history lessons, philosophical observations, a demand for recognition of the Black man’s humanity and for more Black people to demand it of themselves. He preached self defense (not violence), economic power, political power, and self sufficiency to combat a biased system. He was a debater. He was confident enough in his stance that he welcomed challenges to his ideas. It only helped develop and strengthen his position. With wisdom came his ability to wield his anger and frustration with precision. He was a coalition builder. X sought to organize with whomever genuinely shared his vision of equality regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion. In a speech, Malcolm once said “Islam is my religion, but I believe my religion is my personal business. It governs my personal life and my personal morals. And religious philosophy is personal between me and the God in whom I believe. Just as the religious philosophies of others is between them and the God in whom they believe.”

He was more than a militant. And it reminds me of how we treat many public figures, even people in our personal lives, today. Sometimes, we tend to have difficulty looking past public personas, our personal perceptions, or even memes to fully appreciate human complexities. Furthermore, in attempts of accountability, the public tends to not be too forgiving or open to the fact that people change and expand. This has been a problem during the internet age where every moment is memorialized, but seeing it happen decades before the dawn of the world wide web makes it really hit home that ain’t ish changes.

Malcolm X was not the first nor last person to be subjected to this style of takedown. Leaked and declassified files from the FBI led initiative COINTELPRO (1956-1971) describe in detail how these tactics were used to systemically destabilize civil rights groups and other, often peaceful, social movements including OAAU, Nation of Islam, the American Indian Movement, the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, and Black Panther Party. The documents detail infiltration, wire taps, covert operations and more. And to think it ended during this era would be naive optimism. Prominent figures including activists, celebrities, and politicians are believed to have been surveilled well into the 21st century with national intelligence agencies being caught several times. Surveillance is a powerful tool that has historically been used maliciously at will, giving great cause for concern especially when victims don’t always get justice. Political prisoners such as Mumia Abu Jamal are still in jail and it leaves room for plausible theories around some coincidentally timed public takedowns. The scary thing is, these are only accounts of some of the more prominent figures. Due to the effectiveness of these methods in neutralizing dangerous minds and the repeated examples of the governments willingness to use them on movements of social change even peaceful ones (MLK), one can only speculate the number of people impacted that don’t make the headlines; the ones locked up, unnecessarily drugged, and/or bullied into dysfunction.

It also reminds me of the most recent US civil rights movement, the Black Lives Matter movement (BLM) which started in 2013 following the killing of Trayvon Martin. Surveillance was used in protests following, although we do not know to what extent. In 2015, it was discovered that at least 10 FBI surveillance flights were conducted over the city of Baltimore alone from March 29 to April 3rd following the death of Freddie Gray. Flight footage was only publicized after the ACLU requested transparency under the Freedom of Information Act, however, the reason for the surveillance and what the footage was used for remains unclear.

The BLM movement died down some time after, but was revived following the highly publicized killings of several unarmed Black People by police in 2020 and 2021. Naturally, many of us took to the streets, but this too was reminiscent of some of the experiences described in the the book. In Malcolm X’s autobiography he calls the 1963 March on Washington the “farce on Washington”. The march required permission from the government through a permit, featured celebrity guest appearances, had live performances, and was televised. He felt the march was turned into a spectacle and, thus, rendered harmless, like a parade. When things begin to cater to the masses over the honest voice of the minority, the message can often be subdued. Even John Lewis had to edit his speech for the march after being accused of coming off too militant. And not to diminish the efforts of BLM, but once we had Congress kneeling with kente cloth sashes and the BLM slogan synonymous with bumper stickers, restaurant windows, and categories on streaming sites, I knew it was over. Meanwhile, according to Statista, not only have the number and disproportion of Black people killed by police not changed, but the overall number of people killed at the hands of police have increased. The BLM movement was also believed to be subject of infiltrators and provocateurs in order to discredit the movement by inciting looting and violence during protests with several reports claiming that plain clothes agents were often a part of crowds to instigate its escalation and was further discredited when information leaked of the founders using donation money for personal use.

So if ain’t ish changes, what does this mean for future social movements? These destructive tactics have been perfected over the course of who knows how long. The success of any future social movement that aims to shake the status quo depends on recognizing these patterns and responding (or not) in appropriate ways. And I think one of the reasons the Autobiography of Malcolm X is so important, and likely why he was seen as such a threat, it that he demonstrates his ability to recognize and navigate these patterns so well. His actions exemplify what it means to adhere to a set a values as to not discredit oneself or movement. Provocateurs are meant to provoke reaction and trigger you to turn on allies so recognizing what the desired reaction is and practicing self control is key. So is maintaining a calm nervous system. Paranoia, anxiety, lack of sleep can all affect decision making skills as well as reactivity and overall well-being. It means being willing to be apart of a coalition, understanding that allies do not need to mirror you. Inflated differences and manufactured beefs are often used to polarize groups with otherwise the same goal.

These were messages that he preached a lot, especially in his later speeches. And it wasn’t just talk. Malcolm X vocalizes multiple times in his autobiography his disdain of how organizations and camps of Civil Rights leaders are pressured to turn against each other when they often have the same goal. He made the conscious effort not to attack or diminish the Nation of Islam’s work because he knew that’s what “the man” and “the media” wanted. This also means recognizing the importance of putting ideology over class. Malcolm X was able to speak to everyone from the “street cats” he grew up with to the multiple degree holding professionals. He understood how the system effects everyone and class division unneedingly disjoins two things required for a successful movement: resources and numbers.

To achieve success means being comfortable with being uncomfortable. Being able to handle transparency, confrontation, difference of opinion and triggers without jeopardizing the greater mission. Malcolm X enjoyed debating. Not just for the sake of being right, but he understood the value it had in expanding his views. He would even speak of people who he debated against who he respected and felt had respect for him despite their opposite stances on issues. Offense wasn’t trauma, disagreement wasn’t shied from. It was iron to sharpen one’s mind and work towards coming to a greater solution. To be able to set aside ego, who gets credit, favoritism, and the like is to overcome many natural human tendencies, but it’s also not surprising that Malcolm X displayed many of these. And that’s what made him so dangerous. Anyway, y’all read the book.