1. This is an excerpt from the Autobiography of Malcolm X, written by Malcolm X with the assistance of Alex Haley. The book was first published in 1965.
2. Malcolm X was a prominent African American civil rights leader and advocate for black nationalism in the mid-20th century. He was born Malcolm Little in 1925 and was assassinated in 1965. Malcolm X was a follower of the Nation of Islam, a black nationalist and religious movement, before breaking away from the group and becoming an independent Muslim. Given his own advocacy for black nationalism, it is possible that Malcolm X may have a positive view of Marcus Garveys teachings.
3. According to Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey was the most controversial black man on earth because he advocated for black-race purity and encouraged the Negro masses to return to their ancestral African homeland. This view was seen as threatening to many white Americans, who feared the loss of cheap labor and saw the potential for political upheaval.
4. The pictures of Marcus Garvey made a big impression on Malcolm X because they showed millions of Negroes thronged in parade behind Garvey, and Garvey himself was depicted as a powerful and impressive figure, wearing a uniform with gold braid and a hat with tall plumes.