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Policoro in Swing is pleased, through short posts, to present to all the participants of the 10th edition some aspects connected to the historical-cultural figure of one of the most important African American civil rights leaders of the 20th century, aiming to raise awareness on the issues that are still very present today.

𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐦 𝐗 – The “𝐗” to start from scratch (1^ pill)
When he was born in 1925 in a town in Nebraska, in the north of the USA, his name was Malcolm Little. Over time he realised that this surname was wrong. Malcolm was African-American, he was black, and all black people bore the surname of their masters, the owners of their ancestors, the slaves.
That surname meant the ownership that one man could have over another man and so one of the things that Malcolm does when he turns his life around and gets involved in a liberation movement is to erase that name, that slave name, and put an "X" on it to say "my identity, my history, who I am, has been erased. Because my story is a story that hasn't been told, it's a story of violence, it's a story of denial, so we have to start over. Starting over means changing your name, changing the sign of everything. Changing one's name by marking oneself with an "X" also means identifying with those who are "nobody" in society and in power relations, identifying with those who have no rights in society. That is why it is necessary to start from zero in the liberation movements, to start from the beginning.

Malcom X and the pride in one's black identity (2^ pill)
The liberation of African-Americans, the liberation of black Americans, the liberation of slaves, passed through a variety of means, ideas and forms of struggle. It passed through the escape of slaves in the slave South, through revolts and resistance, often within their families. Throughout the history of African Americans, during slavery, the family is the fundamental point of resistance. It is the point at which a human being who is externally considered a beast, equivalent to an animal, asserts his humanity in his relationship with people with whom he has a bond of love: the family and then the community. On the plantations, slaves worked from dawn to dusk, but from dusk to dawn was their night! During the night they built a collective identity, and during the night they invented the music that later became blues, rap, jazz. Defending one's mind against the invasion of power was one of the fundamental forms of resistance of the African American movement through resistance. Resist because slavery, oppression (even today), domination, is designed to extinguish your intelligence, the sense of your deep spiritual autonomy.



Malcolm Malcolm joins a very strange sect (Nation of Islam), deeply rooted in the ghettos of the big cities, for whom the white man is literally the devil. Most importantly, the Nation of Islam claims the dignity and importance of the African-American tradition. We are in the 1950s, years in which it is still very difficult to be proud of one's black identity.



Pride in one's black identity will begin with Malcolm's generation. (..."Say it loud - I'm black and I'm proud"...), but only those whose identity has been questioned need to keep repeating it...." I'm proud, I'm proud, I'm proud...".

Malcom X and the Martin Luther King (3^ pill)
The relationship between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King is one of the most complex and significant chapters in US civil rights history. Although both were respected and influential leaders of the African American civil rights movement, their visions, strategies and approaches differed greatly, reflecting the nuances of a deeply multi-faceted and complex movement.
Martin Luther King was a Baptist minister from the Deep South, known for his non-violent approach and philosophy based on love, passive resistance and the struggle for racial integration. In contrast to King's approach, Malcolm X advocated armed self-defence and openly criticised racial integration, instead supporting the idea of a separate black state.



Despite differences in philosophy and tactics, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King shared a common goal: the elimination of racism and the achievement of full civil rights for African Americans. Malcolm, while never completely renouncing the right to self-defence, became more open to the idea of working with other civil rights groups and considering non-violence as a possible strategy.

Malcolm X and the dance (4^ pill)
Dancing represents a significant part of Malcolm X's youth, a period in which he explored his identity and the dynamics of urban African-American society. This aspect of his life highlights the complexity and depth of his experience, showing how Malcolm X moved from a life of rebellion and self-expression to one of rigorous discipline and commitment to social justice. His evolution from nightclub dancer to civil rights leader reflects the extraordinary personal and spiritual transformation that characterised his life.