Previous
Prince Jones
Although Malcolm X does not play an active role in the narrative, he is undoubtedly the most important historical figure in the book. Coates discovers Malcolm X’s work as a teenager, and it is the experience of reading about Malcolm’s life and beliefs that awakens Coates to the reality of racial injustice in America. Born Malcolm Little in 1925, Malcolm became a member of the Nation of Islam during a period of incarceration. Malcolm went on to become a key figure in the black power movement, refusing to acquiesce to the strategy of nonviolent resistance advocated by some members of the Civil Rights Movement. In 1964 Malcolm broke ties with the Nation of Islam, and the following year he was assassinated by three of its members at the age of 39.
Malcolm X Quotes in Between the World and Me
The Between the World and Me quotes below are all either spoken by Malcolm X or refer to Malcolm X. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 1 Quotes
Perhaps I too might live free. Perhaps I too might wield the same old power that animated the ancestors, that lived in Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman, Nanny, Cudjoe, Malcolm X, and speak––no, act––as though my body were my own.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Coates has recalled that, as a teenager, he was a huge admirer of Malcolm X. Malcolm’s words felt like an antidote to the messages Coates received at school and in the wider world, which discouraged resistance to racist injustice and left Coates feeling powerless. In this passage, Coates explains that he was inspired by the revolutionary spirit of African-American leaders and activists who came before him. Although at times it can feel as if Coates is alone facing the impossible pressures of police brutality, street violence, inequality of opportunity, and the dishonesty of the Dream, he is also connected to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident
Get the entire Between the World and Me LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Malcolm X Character Timeline in Between the World and Me
The timeline below shows where the character Malcolm X appears in Between the World and Me. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1
...remarks that he is not alone on this journey toward political consciousness. The work of Malcolm X is being taken up within the developing hip hop community, just at the point when...
(full context)
...solid sense of himself, guided by the things he is learning and the precedent of Malcolm X . He is accompanied on this journey of self-discovery by his friend Ben, whom he...
(full context)
