this room tonight and because we are admirers of manning marable pretend to ourselves that alex haley's malcolm x is going away anytime soon or spike lee's. first of all, you're right. first of all, they should not. autobiography of malcolm x is a brilliant book. it should be read because it's a brilliant book. and it tells a story that is powerful and tells us many things about what it means to be black in america. it's an important -- it must be read. it's a seminal work. it's not going to change because we learned more details about malcolm's life that make him more human or because we learn his failings and so forth. a letter from a birmingham jail written by martin luther king is no more diminished nor is the "i have a dream speech" on the april 1954 speech because we know he had extramarital affairs or whatever. it just doesn't work that way. do you know what i mean? and we do have to open our minds to that and i would suggest, you know, we follow the example of what white america does with its heroes. [laughter] >> i mean this seriously. we know a lot of george washington, for example, t

im ratty to give up alex haley's malcolm x and spike lee's malcolm x. not everybody is. is. as a friend who teaches at an all boys charter school in the inner-city and there is no book that appears more frequently on the spring syllabus are on the friend's personal bookshelf than the autobiography of malcolm max. he was never taught a class to these kids about teaching the autobiography. and you know, the work in political science is this idea that malcolm is built through the film and through the autobiography is the kind of magical talent and you got him to get your manhood fix and you started to a malcolm x incantation to represent your anger the american states and your sense of which are organizing political possibilities of black manhood are. and so that meant is incredibly important and powerful and does organizing work. but i'm ready to give it up without to give it up into a void. i suspect that it wasn't quite right, but it wasn't ready to give it up to avoid. but in its text does is allow us to give up five minutes without having to opt-in to avoid. it gives us so

of bin laden and the final thing i will say in this introduction is i am ready to give up alex haley's malcolm x. and spike lee's malcolm x and not everyone is. i have a dear friend who teaches at an all boys charter school in the inner city. there is no book that appears more frequently on this friend's personal bookshelf and the i have never seen a bookshelf with fewer than 15 copies and never taught a class without teaching the autobiography. the work in political science is the idea that malcolm through the film and the autobiography he is a kind of magical talisman. you rub him to get your manhood fixed and hugh -- the malcolm x incantation to represent your anger at the american state and your sense of the organizing political possibilities of black manhood are. so it is that myth that is important and powerful and does important organizing work. but i am ready for it, to give it up without demanding anyone else given up. but i wasn't ready to give it up into a village. i suspect it wasn't quite right but i wasn't ready to give it up to avoid. manning lets us give up that mess without wa