Malcolm X: in our own image

The Story

Assassinated in 1965, Malcolm X is still the most visible figure on the African American political landscape. His image is everywhere - on T-shirts, in music videos, on posters - and his name is invoked by a wide range of people claiming to carry on his legacy. But what exactly is Malcolm's legacy? And what exactly does Malcolm X mean to African America? In Malcolm X: In Our Own Image fifteen African American thinkers - including Amiri Baraka, Angela Davis, Arnold Rampersad, Cornel West, Patricia Williams, and John Edgar Wideman - answer these questions. Each essay critically examines a different aspect of Malcolm's life, and relates it to the present state of African America. As a whole, Malcolm X: In Our Own Image challenges and complements Malcolm X's own best-selling Autobiography. It will be of interest to anyone wanting to know and think more about Malcolm X and African America today.