One question I have here: Does brother Malcolm and the Nation of Islam find common ground, are they still at odds OR does Malcolm still stay within the nation.
The answers will determine in many ways where Malcolm would be politically and philosophically in the 1970s and beyond.
I don't see AUH2O sticking to those guns, and certainly not in a 1964 or 1968 election. Remember this is a man who attempted to equate civil rights with Soviet Communism on the campaign trail, even after at least being supportive of the idea of Civil Rights in his book Conscience of a Conservative.
I could see Richard Nixon getting on board with this thought (and he was, but unfortunately he surrendered to the calculus of needing the votes, and who can blame him), but Goldwater? I don't see it.
A lot of this assumes a certain answer to the question above, assumes who who and what philosophies are running the country, and who are those people talking to and working with. Nothing exists in a vacuum to itself, especially when you are dealing with the mechanism of public policy.
Some would still regard both with distrust, because in OTL, there were projects towards self-reliance but entertwined with the concept that you have to deal with the institutionalized discriminatory structures as well. They are part of the same coin and one cannot truly grow without the other. That is often the sticking point within the color line, and it would be in this proposed timeline to, especially if Malcolm, Martin, and nationalist groups in the communities like the Black Panthers found common framework to work together towards focused goals. And that changing the institutional discrimination is essential for those goals.
Actually, both tended to be grounded with communities. The Panthers were born of the city to sell them as a nationalist version of SNCC is a little inaccurate. What the Panthers did very well (and I was a beneficiary of this) of this was to develop a political education within their cadres along side the work that needed to be done.
If nothing else...This would be a very interesting scenario to flesh out. It has me reading a lot of things I haven't read in a little while.
It has my dad interested, too.
The answers will determine in many ways where Malcolm would be politically and philosophically in the 1970s and beyond.
"Assuming Goldwater sticks to his libertarian guns and says it's nuts for ANY American to be a second-class citizen would make him popular with lots of folks outside his state. IDK if his constituents would be all that happy about it though. Anglo political dominance of Arizona depends on Hispanic folks not challenging the status quo.
I don't see AUH2O sticking to those guns, and certainly not in a 1964 or 1968 election. Remember this is a man who attempted to equate civil rights with Soviet Communism on the campaign trail, even after at least being supportive of the idea of Civil Rights in his book Conscience of a Conservative.
I could see Richard Nixon getting on board with this thought (and he was, but unfortunately he surrendered to the calculus of needing the votes, and who can blame him), but Goldwater? I don't see it.
Malcolm X surviving into the 1970's has a lot of butterflies. FWIW, the idea of self-reliance instead of depending on the Feds for welfare, legal protection, and so forth could be very interesting on how suburban white folks view Islam and blacks as a whole. (I think it would massively improve opinions of both)
Imagine a lot of Muslims burning food stamps and embracing family planning, education, and entrepreneurship instead of dependence and victimhood. Muslim neighborhoods get a rep for being neat, orderly, and prosperous and linking arms with a lot of conservative Christian and Jewish political causes and thereby becoming "good Americans".
A lot of this assumes a certain answer to the question above, assumes who who and what philosophies are running the country, and who are those people talking to and working with. Nothing exists in a vacuum to itself, especially when you are dealing with the mechanism of public policy.
"could be very interesting on how suburban white folks view Islam and blacks as a whole. (I think it would massively improve opinions of both).
Some would still regard both with distrust, because in OTL, there were projects towards self-reliance but entertwined with the concept that you have to deal with the institutionalized discriminatory structures as well. They are part of the same coin and one cannot truly grow without the other. That is often the sticking point within the color line, and it would be in this proposed timeline to, especially if Malcolm, Martin, and nationalist groups in the communities like the Black Panthers found common framework to work together towards focused goals. And that changing the institutional discrimination is essential for those goals.
Plus, IIRC, NOI was mostly blue-collar folks, while Panthers tended to be college kids with a smattering of hard-case cons and veterans as cadre so you had the rift in expectations and strategies between the groups.
Actually, both tended to be grounded with communities. The Panthers were born of the city to sell them as a nationalist version of SNCC is a little inaccurate. What the Panthers did very well (and I was a beneficiary of this) of this was to develop a political education within their cadres along side the work that needed to be done.
If nothing else...This would be a very interesting scenario to flesh out. It has me reading a lot of things I haven't read in a little while.
It has my dad interested, too.