The Rhetoric of Malcolm X's Legacy: by Any (Available)

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The Rhetoric of Malcolm X's Legacy: by Any (Available) THE RHETORIC OF MALCOLM X’S LEGACY: BY ANY (AVAILABLE) MEANS (OF PERSUASION) NECESSARY by DANNY JOE RODRIGUEZ Bachelor of Arts, 2012 University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, Texas Master of Arts, 2014 University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, Texas Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of AddRan College of Liberal Arts Texas Christian University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy May, 2021 Copyright by Danny Joe Rodriguez 2021 THE RHETORIC OF MALCOLM X’S LEGACY: BY ANY (AVAILABLE) MEANS (OF PERSUASION) NECESSARY By Danny Joe Rodriguez Dissertation approved: Major Professor 02/24/2021 For the College of Liberal Arts ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, all praise is due to God. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I accept His Will above my own will and the wills of others. This entire dissertation is dedicated to the memory of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X). I can only hope that he is proud of how I have honored him. I also want to thank my dissertation advisor, Brad E. Lucas. His working style, personality, and caring nature made this dissertation process a breeze. I could have not picked a better dissertation advisor for this project. Additionally, I want to express my gratitude to my committee members Jason Helms, Carmen Kynard, and Victor Villanueva. I have learned a lot from these individuals. Since 2020 will likely be remembered as an awkward year for us all, I want to say rest in peace to my big brother, Jesse Rodriguez Jr., who passed away on March 27, 2020. I also want to say rest in peace to my best friend, Jeremy Carter Coronado, who passed away on December 23, 2018. Both of you all reminded me that life is much bigger than a curriculum vitae. Loyalty and love are above everything except God. I’ll close with wisdom from the greatest basketball player of all time (i.e., Kobe “the Black Mamba” Bryant): “So, the story will be about the transformation of a kid looking inwardly to then growing up and understanding the importance and the power of looking outwardly.” #MambaOut ii CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION: (G)RACE……………………………………………………..1 CHAPTER 2: THE RHETORICAL CIRCULATION OF MALCOLM X: THE MAN VS. THE LEGEND…………………………………………………………………………………………12 CHAPTER 3: THE RHETORICAL CIRCULATION OF MALCOLM X AS A TEACHER, RHETOR, AND CULTURAL FIGURE………………………………………………………...53 CHAPTER 4: MY CULTURAL RHETORICS METHODOLOGY……………………………78 CHAPTER 5: RECONNECTIVE RACIAL LITERACIES: MALCOLM X AND A LITERACY EVENT…………………………………………………………………………………………105 CHAPTER 6: RECLAIMING MALCOLM X: EPIDEICTIC DISCOURSE AND AFRICAN- AMERICAN RHETORIC……………………………………………………………………...133 CHAPTER 7: MALCOLM X’S VISUAL ETHOS…………………………………………….153 CONCLUSION: FOLLOWING MALCOLM X AND BECOMING CHRIST-LIKE………...177 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………………184 iii LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1: HARNESSING CURIOSITY, CONQUERING FEAR: MALCOLM X AS EXEMPLAR ……………………………………………………………………………………...1 FIGURE 2: POSITIONALITY, MOTIVE(S), AND COMMUNITY ACCURACY…………...83 FIGURE 3: NUMBER OF TDCJ OFFENDERS BY ZIP CODE……………………………….91 FIGURE 4: MALCOLM X SPEAKING………………………………………………………...94 FIGURE 5: ENTRANCE OF PAN-AFRICAN CONNECTION………………………………..98 FIGURE 6: AFRICAN ARTIFACTS……………………………………………………………99 FIGURE 7: AFRICAN ATTIRE………………………………………………………………...99 FIGURE 8: BLACK ART……………………………………………………………………….99 FIGURE 9: VENDORS AND ATTENDEES 1.0……………………………………………...100 FIGURE 10: VENDORS AND ATTENDEES 2.0…………………………………………….100 FIGURE 11: VENDORS AND ATTENDEES 3.0…………………………………………….100 FIGURE 12: PRACTICE GROUP ECONOMICS…………………………………………….101 FIGURE 13: MARCUS GARVEY CELEBRATION………………………………………….102 FIGURE 14: THE PAN-AFRICAN CONNECTION: BOOKSTORE, ART GALLERY, AND RESOURCE CENTER…………………………………………………………………………105 FIGURE 15: THE STAGE OF THE MALCOLM X FESTIVAL……………………………..107 FIGURE 16: AKWETE TYEHIMBA………………………………………………………….119 FIGURE 17: FUNDRAISER POSTER………………………………………………………...120 FIGURE 18: PAN-AFRICAN CONNECTION’S BOOKS ABOUT MALCOLM X AND A VENDOR’S BOOKS ABOUT MALCOLM X………………………………………………...122 FIGURE 19: VENDOR’S TABLE……………………………………………………………..123 iv FIGURE 20: CHILDREN’S BOOKS OF A VENDOR………………………………………..129 FIGURE 21: TATTOOED PORTRAIT OF MALCOLM X…………………………………...153 FIGURE 22: ANNUAL MALCOLM X BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION: SAT. MAY 18TH, 2013.…………………………………………………………………………………………….162 FIGURE 23: ADINKRA SYMBOLS USED ON THE 2013 MALCOLM X FESTIVAL POSTER………………………………………………………………………………………...163 FIGURE 24: ADINKRA SYMBOLS USED ON THE 2013 MALCOLM X FESTIVAL POSTER………………………………………………………………………………………...164 FIGURE 25: ANNUAL MALCOLM X BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION: SAT. MAY 18TH, 2013……………………………………………………………………………………………..166 FIGURE 26: MALCOLM X FESTIVAL: MAY 16………………………………………………………………………………………………..167 FIGURE 27: MALCOLM X: DVD…………………………………………………………….168 FIGURE 28: MALCOLM X FESTIVAL: MOVING FROM MOBILIZATION TO ORGANIZATION……………………………………………………………………………...168 FIGURE 29: MALCOLM X FESTIVAL: MOVING FROM MOBILIZATION TO ORGANIZATION……………………………………………………………………………...169 FIGURE 30: MALCOLM X: THE GREAT PHOTOGRAPHS……………………………….169 FIGURE 31: MALCOLM X FESTIVAL: “DON’T GIVE UP ON OUR YOUTH: EDUCATE, EDUCATE, ORGANIZE!”…………………………………………………………………….170 FIGURE 32: MALCOLM X FESTIVAL: SATURDAY, MAY 19TH………………………..172 FIGURE 33: MALCOLM X FESTIVAL: SATURDAY, MAY 19TH…………………………173 FIGURE 34: ANNUAL MALCOLM X BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION: MALCOLM X FESTIVAL……………………………………………………………………………………...175 v FIGURE 35: MALCOLM X STATUE………………………………………………………...177 vi Chapter 1: Introduction: (G)race “I am a Muslim. And there’s nothing wrong with being a Muslim, nothing wrong with the religion of Islam. Those of you who are Christians probably believe in the same God, because I think you believe in the God who created the universe. That’s the one we believe in” (Malcolm X. February 1965: The Final Speeches 90). “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith” (2 Tim 3:13 925). Figure 1. from Pye Ian, “Harnessing Curiosity [sic], Conquering Fear: Malcolm X as Exemplar” If I explained to a crowd that a black minister who died in the 1960s motivated me to become a Christian, I assume that the majority of this crowd would suppose that I am referencing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In actuality, I am alluding to the contributions of minister Malcolm X, or El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. While I am positive that Malcolm X would laugh while shaking his head at me if he read this sentence, when I struggle to think of someone who has lived Christ- like, I think of Malcolm X. I do not know when I first learned of Malcolm X. It could have been the pilot episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I still can vividly picture Will Smith hanging a poster of Malcolm X on his wall. On the other hand, 2Pac could have introduced me to Malcolm X: “Should we cry when the Pope die? My request / We should cry if they cried when we buried 1 Malcolm X.” Regardless of what or who presented this great rhetor to me, I am still very much aware of the effects he has had on my life. For this dissertation project, I illustrate how Malcolm X’s legacy is still influential. Furthermore, I also place the legacy of Malcolm X within the race that he championed: the Black race. Therefore, I want to be very upfront: despite how much I admire Malcolm X, he does not belong to me or any other non-black person. He belongs to his people, or the people that Malcolm X referenced throughout his lifetime. As a Christian, as a heterosexual man of color, who selF-identifies as a second-generation Mexican American (i.e., second generation born in the U.S.), and as a scholar, who has remained in the educational system that failed Malcolm X, I have several biases. First, obviously, I am unable to truly understand the black experience. Although I have listened to and read his speeches, listened to his interviews, and watched Spike Lee’s biopic and countless other documentaries that cover him, I am not part of his intended audience. I am simply observing this rhetorical ecology as an outsider (see Edbauer). For example, even if I was present for any of Malcolm X’s speeches, due to my race and his goals, I am simply examining the exchange between a black rhetor and a black audience. Second, due to how Malcolm X viewed Jesus and how I view Jesus, a disconnect exists. I am assuming that a Muslim experiences the rhetoric of Malcolm X differently than I do. Finally, I am a scholar of color creating a project on someone who is the product of an informal education. Even though I contend that academia is what I do and not who I am, I am very much aware of how easy it is for an academic to distort the legacy of any rhetor or rhetorician, especially Malcolm X. As a result, I hope the 2018 Malcolm X Festival speaks for itself. The Pan-African Connection: Bookstore, Art Gallery, and Resource Center hosts this festival to celebrate the birthday of Malcolm X. As I explain in detail in upcoming paragraphs (and in chapter four), I chose this festival, which is located in a 2 neighborhood that I grew up near, because it provides a community’s understanding of Malcolm X’s legacy (i.e., his rhetoric and the everlasting effects of his rhetoric). Largely due to his black nationalist rhetoric, which many people may interpret as separatist oratory, and his call for self-defense as opposed to what he deemed as passivity or nonviolence, the focal point of most academic research about Malcolm X is on his life. This focus draws on his unpublished manuscripts and unknown or embellished moments from his lived experiences. Despite the benefits of such academic interests, this focus minimizes the larger and longer lasting impact of Malcolm X. This dissertation not only illustrates how we can analyze Malcolm X differently but also demonstrates the rhetorical power and influence of his legacy and the people who preserve it. By doing so, this project provides the field with an approach for revisiting and reanalyzing prominent rhetors and their contributions—situated in their cultural contexts. Due to the limited, and sometimes reductive, amount of scholarship on Malcolm X, traditional examinations of Malcolm X have constructed a public memory of him that now exists as a dominant narrative.
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