Malcolm X: A Role Model for Contemporary White American Males
Why white Americans in the 21st century should learn from the civil rights leader.
Spike Lee’s feature film biopic, “Malcolm X,” was released in 1992. I was living in Brooklyn, 28-years-old at the time, and was a Jewish fan of the controversial director. Accentuations on controversial and Jewish as “Mo’ Better Blues,” Spike’s 1990 followup to his classic “Do the Right Thing,” was widely accused of exploiting the most sensitive of anti-Semitic tropes via the conniving money-hungry brother characters Josh and Moe Flatbush, who themselves exploited the black musicians in the film for personal gain.
Spike’s “Malcolm X,” which today I consider his most accomplished film, was playing barely two miles from my apartment. I made the trek to the Kings Plaza multiplex, surrounded by waves of black X caps. To my sight, I was the sole Caucasian in the crowd.
To be more specific, it appeared I was the sole non-African American in the crowd. I didn’t care then nor do I now, but the observation, in my judgement, is worth expressing for the purposes of this piece.
