Too Radical for the Classroom: Malcolm X and America's Fear of Truth

Jesse Hagopian initially encountered Malcolm X not through scholarly sources but through Spike Lee's iconic 1992 film. “It ignited my desire for deeper exploration,” Hagopian, an educator and director of the Zinn Education Project, reflects. He remembers that delving into Malcolm's autobiography during college was both illuminating and disheartening, highlighting a deficit in schools' focus on his legacy. Although Malcolm X's influence on history is profound, only 13 states include him in their K-12 curricula, resulting in a skewed understanding of systemic injustices. “Teaching Malcolm is imperative,” Hagopian asserts, advocating for an accurate portrayal of history that includes his crucial insights. Absent this pedagogy, students are deprived of a holistic perspective on societal challenges.