THE INTELLECTUAL CREATIVITY AND PUBLIC DISCOURSE OF MALCOLM X: A Precursor to the Modern Black Studies Movement

This article seeks to explore the education and public dialogue of Malcolm X, a major African American leadership figure of the 1950s and 1960s. It is the author’s intent to explore an aspect of Malcolm X’s leadership not addressed in much of the current literature, his educational attainment leading to his role as the intellectual and pedagogical antecedent to the modern Black studies movement of the 1960s. This article examines his educational and intellectual development, his role as a public activist and debater, and his contribution to curricular reform in his public rhetoric. In a review of the current literature on Malcolm X and adult education, there is evident congruence of the two areas, offering new insight into the contributions and legacy of a significant historical figure for African Americans. Malcolm X associate A. Peter Bailey has referred to him as a “master teacher” whose contributions go beyond the conventional Black leadership.