Male Dominated Field? Scoff.

So during my last semester of graduate school, I was presented with an opportunity to attend a conference with Phi Alpha Theta (an honor society) where I could share my research with the world (and by world I mean the ten or fifteen people in the room with me when I presented).

Four of my fellow students from Valdosta State University presented at the conference as well, which was held at Mercer University in Macon, GA.  Here are three of us...and a bear.  Yes, that is me on the right dressed less like an historian and more like a stripper.  Several months later and my feet STILL have not forgiven me for wearing those boots.

I chose to talk about my favorite episode from my Master's thesis (this will be the subject of another blog I'm sure) which was a boycott that stemmed from the Southwest Georgia Project, which stemmed from the Albany Movement, which stemmed from the Civil Rights Movement.  Anyway, I won't bore you with the details...

I mean really, where would we be without Brown v. Board??

Mercer is a private university.  Beautiful campus, fancy accoutrements, entitled children...  The demographic of this conference looked like something straight out of the antebellum era.  Every one of the 100ish people at this event was white and the entire wait staff who served us lunch was black.  Here is a snapshot of me, a classmate, and a Mercer employee that reminds me of how small I felt when I realized all us fancy white folks were being waited on by a black domestic staff.

Here is the whole VSU contingency.  Notice, I am the only member of the female persuasion.  Story of my life.

So, the moral of the story is (all digression aside), that even though I was outnumbered easily 5:1, the girl came out on top.  I won the award for best presentation at the conference based on originality, depth of research in primary sources, and delivery of presentation.

My handsome reward was a book that fit my interests (in hardback!). 



Confession: This white girl loves Malcolm X.

Be forewarned - this is not a book review.  I had enough of those in college.

I recently read Manning Marable's book, Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, which can be purchased on amazon.com here.  This is a picture of the hardback version.



I must say - this book was AMAZING.  Since I graduated in May with a Masters degree in History, I have had a LOT of free time on my hands (when I'm not chasing around my toddler).  I knew I wanted to spend some of that time reading for pleasure, since I haven't been able to do that for the last several years.  Why did I choose to read historical nonfiction rather than trashy romance novels?  I am going to be teaching American History at the college level in the fall and I figured I would beef up my knowledge this summer.  I also just love history (as well I should)!

The Civil Rights Movement is probably my favorite historical period.  It is better than fiction.  I am intrigued by it.  My favorite aspect of this grassroots movement was the bravery and courage necessary for it to occur.  Oftentimes, this movement is remembered by telling the story of the romanticized martyr MLK.  Malcolm X has always been controversial and has definitely taken a backseat to King in the historical memory.  I don't want that to be the case when I teach about this era.

From what I understand, this book was released upon learning that the author, Manning Marable, had a terminal illness.  This book was his life's work.  He had spent some 30 years researching and writing this groundbreaking masterpiece.  Unfortunately, he died just days before the book hit the shelves.  He left behind something very special.

This book reads like a novel.  I couldn't put it down.  The way he follows Malcolm through his life felt like he was right there with Malcolm through it all.  Having written a thesis, I know a little bit of what it is like to research a topic extensively and exhaustively.  I am most impressed with his success in getting Louis Farrakhan to be interviewed as a source for this book.  His thoroughness in researching Malcolm is incredible.  He left no stone unturned.  His eloquence in sharing the story is amazing.  This book was not only about Malcolm but about the Nation of Islam, the group that was an integral part of Malcolm's many transformations in life - the thesis of the book.

There are so many things I love about Malcolm after reading this book, chief among which was his integrity.  This man, unlike many others who profess to believe in something, was no hypocrite.  He really practiced what he preached, unlike his mentor Elijah Muhammed. 

I don't think that enough white people in the south (or anywhere for that matter) understand black history, especially from a personal point of view.  This seems to feed into stereotypes and racism.  Blacks SHOULD be bitter about how their parents, grandparents, and ancestors were treated in the past.  Malcolm X was controversial partly because early on, he declared his antipathy for whites in no uncertain terms.  I have always felt like this was a fair and honest reaction to the things he had seen in his life and this book served as validation for that.

Marable unveils the real story behind Malcolm's death at the age of 39 in this book.  Killed by his former brothers in the NOI, Malcolm was forever silenced by an assassins bullet in front of his wife and children.    Manning has beautifully and intimately cemented Malcolm's legacy in this book which is sure to stand as THE definitive account of Malcolm X for years to come.