“I think Malcolm and Martin hurt us more than they helped us…”

David Banner, the conscious man himself, dropped the classic Like a Pimp to vivacious and soul-taking Get Like Me. Topping his artistry off with outwardly consciousness, The God box album, he made this statement in his Breakfast Club Interview that aired back in 2017. He made this statement, “I think Malcolm and Martin hurt us more than they helped us,” about Black leaders, moral code, and the black message at the time they were alive.

As a Black man and thinking about my experience in life thus far, this statement is something I want to explore in terms of leadership. Although I can’t entirely agree with his opinion, I completely understand it. Assassinated, both of their movements fell apart and died along with their physical deaths. Just as David Banner explains, the people who followed Malcolm and Martin didn’t believe in the moral codes, ethics, and the message they preached; they only believed in the man. His explanation is proper because if all of their followers thought in their statements and calls to action, their movements wouldn’t have died. The movements would’ve continued to move forward and would have changed present-day life even more than we know today—especially Malcolm’s direction. I’d argue that he was the most feared because of his radical enlightenment; hence present day, we do not celebrate him as a nation compared to Martin. Only individuals who know Malcolm el-haj Malik El-Shabazz’s story and movement.

As previously stated, I want to explore why X’s and King’s movements died out. Not the exact reason they died out, but the “what if” each person was transferred leadership in those movements? Would they, we, have carried the torch that both men lit?

To start, I want to look at three different leadership theories; those theories are participative theory, power theory, and relationship theory. The participative approach is the inclusion of individuals in the decision-making process. Power theory is how a leader uses their influence to make an impact. Relationship theory is how leaders use their relationships and interact with individuals.

It’s no argument that Malcolm and Martin used all three of these theories to the best of their advantage. These men were articulate and knew without a doubt that it was going to take a movement of people to create change bring forth equity, equality, and justice for the Black men, women, boys, and girls that walk this earth. How didn’t their power transfer to each follower to pass the baton when it was time?

King and X, both men of faith, the beautiful story of Jesus, are the son of God, and in his true nature, he was more like the ordinary individual than anything. He was a disruptor, a man for the people, and a giver of love and equality, most importantly equity. The beautiful story of Muhammad, a messenger of God along with Jesus and other prophets, is that he was to share the word of God by enlightening individuals of their relationships with God and an equitable setting built off of relationships and socioeconomics. One can look at either story and that it’s a symbol of what we are to do as a people. We are capable of the same powers to bring justice, equity, and equality to the world.

In the process of transferring leadership, it’s educating who’s next in line and then taking them through leadership development—building their skills and equipping them to take the knowledge to the next level. Based on the three theories, Malcolm and Martin both shared their knowledge, created a moral code, and held all followers to their ethics, especially Malcolm. So why didn’t the movement stick? Why didn’t Black followers believe in the message, ethics, and moral code? We all are the next Malcolm and Martin. Let’s bring both messages together, even if we bring Fred Hampton into the picture, a man who brought together all types of people for a revolution. We could revolutionize the call for justice, equity, and equality.

Thinking about Malcolm’s and Martin’s journey, do you think they hurt Black individuals more than they helped us, or do you think they helped us more than harming us?

I think they helped us more than committing harm. Even though X’s and King’s message, moral code, and ethics didn’t stick, they gave us something to refuel the fire for black liberation, revolution, and even healing. We can use their messages to rebuild a moral code and for a universal ask that could give us the true justice we seek.

It isn’t easy with the universal ask due to the different answers you’re going to get by asking Black people what we need. Assimilation, brutality, identity stripping, and so much more have affected Black individuals. I’m not ignoring the factors of capitalism, history, laws, and our government that play a role in this. That’s a whole different conversation with A LOT to unpack. But I am looking at amongst the diversity of Black individuals; the same stereotypes and judgments are placed upon us no matter how successful, how flawed one Black individual is.