The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Even after Malcolm drops out of his predominantly White school and moves to racially diverse Boston, he still characterizes himself as “brainwashed” by White supremacy. In what ways does this internalized White supremacy manifest prior to his incarceration?

In Malcolm view, what role does Christianity play in the lives of Black Americans? How does Christianity reinforce White supremacy?

How does the history of Harlem reflect the assimilation into Whiteness of various immigrant groups throughout American history?

Malcolm believes his and Shorty’s uncharacteristically long sentences reflect long-held White supremacist ideas about the supposed purity of White women. How does the court case reflect this racist narrative? What is Malcolm and Shorty’s “crime” (173)?

Explore the accusations that Malcolm and the Nation of Islam are a hate group because they believe in “Black supremacy.”

Why does Malcolm initially resent and resist efforts by more mainstream civil rights leaders to integrate White and Black society?

How do Malcolm X’s misogyny and anti-Semitism affect his legacy?

In art about the civil rights era, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. are portrayed in opposition to one another. After reading Malcolm X’s Autobiography, do you find this binary convincing? Why or why not?