The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X

by Les Payne

Malcolm could not shake the notion that Elijah Muhammad’s secret instructions to meet with the Klan, at bottom, pointed toward an unholy alliance. At a more personal level, he was deeply troubled by the possible effect of his mission on the memory of his very own father who had been killed, he believed, by this self-same terrorist group. The Messenger’s overture to the Klan began to tug at the cult leader’s hold over Malcolm, like a crowbar prying loose a nail driven deep. It would prove to be a major turning point in the relationship between the two strong men, both reacting to a powerful enemy. Meanwhile, a shaken Malcolm decided to soldier on to the Atlanta meeting, determined to exploit every inch of wiggle room within the bounds of the Messenger’s marching orders. But the blind and faithful disciple had begun to doubt.