Contact: Maridith Geuder
(from left) Mfanya D. Tryman and Robert L. Jenkins
A new scholarly work by a Mississippi State historian and his political science colleague provides a detailed examination of the influences, ideas, actions, and personality of civil rights activist Malcolm X.
The Malcolm X Encyclopedia, a 643-page reference published by Greenwood Press of Westport, Conn., is co-edited by university associate history professor Robert L. Jenkins and political science professor Mfanya D. Tryman.
Assassinated in 1965 before he was 40 years old, Malcolm X was a leading proponent of Black Nationalism. An Omaha, Neb., native, the former Malcolm Little changed his name after joining the Black Muslim sect while serving time in prison for burglary.
"While it is primarily a reference source, the encyclopedia could profitably be read by anyone interested in this major 20th century figure, whose life even today is controversial," Jenkins said.
With more than 500 essays, the book covers a wide variety of topics. "He was orphaned by his father's 1931 death and his mother's committal to a mental institution," Jenkins observed, adding that the man who became a passionate spokesman about issues of black life initially fell into a street life of petty crime.
After Malcolm X's seven-year incarceration ended in 1953, the new religious convert became a close associate of Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad and a major voice in the group's call for black separatism. In 1964, however, he modified some of his harsh views on whites, and he founded his own Islamic organization--Muslim Mosque Inc.--and the politically oriented Organization of Afro-American Unity that preached racial solidarity.
In addition to sections on Malcolm X's life and the Black Muslim movement, the massive reference examines 1960s police brutality, coalition building and related issues that galvanized the activist's political action and rhetoric.
Jenkins and Tryman agree that a major surprise to readers may be the often-vast differences between the activist's public and private lives.
"The man who had a fiery public rhetoric and was once described as 'a black panther' also had a much more private side," Tryman said. "As the father of six children, he could be very playful."
Self-taught through his own voracious readings, Malcolm X had become a powerful voice in America as the civil rights movement was gaining momentum. "He had the ability to relate to all classes of people," Jenkins said. "He could articulate in a way that struck a nerve, not only with black people but with many whites as well."
Jenkins, who holds bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from MSU, teaches courses in African-American history and the modern civil rights movement. He is a former book review editor for the Journal of Mississippi History and has published widely in his areas of specialty.
Tryman, whose courses include African-American politics, civil rights and affirmative action, also is co-editor of two-other publications, "Apartheid South Africa and American Foreign Policy" (1987) and "Institutional Racism and Black America" (1985). He holds a bachelor's degree from the California State Polytechnic Institute and master's and doctoral degrees from Florida State University.