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 Roots to Rap
Rahiel Tesfamariam
Columnist Page
Friday, March 4, 2005; Page 21
The Marketing Appeal of a Martyr
On February 27, 1966 approximately fifteen hundred people gathered at Faith Temple Church of God in Christ in New York City for the funeral services of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X), who has long been called a martyr for Black people.
Forty years later, Bro. Malcolm’s spirit lives on through a generation that refuses to let him die. He has been resurrected as a cultural product at a time in American history when thousands of young African Americans, particularly males, long to hear a voice that will answer their cries.
Malcolm X is the undisputed icon of the young. His fiery stance on race relations has often been ideal for college students who increasingly face racism and young Black males burdened by racial profiling. The Black youth of America have always been on a search for a leader that is authentic and in Malcolm they find an articulate, intelligent and older voice of rebellion.
While society was not ready for Malcolm in the time that he lived, the late 1980s and 90s were ideal for his is resurrection. In addition to the social unrest in America, Hip-Hop music culture had become increasingly popular and “Afrocentrism” was highly respected by both Black and White professionals at that time. The rage and frustration shared by many in the 1980s would come to be embodied in Malcolm’s image. The undisputed hero of the underclass would reemerge as a cultural icon, captivating those that said he would be forgotten easily. He would come back to challenge the American way but this time, America itself would hail him as martyr.
Malcolm, in death, became more intertwined in mainstream America than in life. It would not be too long before the various genres of popular culture as well as product manufacturers would try to cash in on the resurrection of Malcolm’s legacy.
Witnessing the success of the sale of Malcolm X paraphernalia, major manufacturers and retailers decided to jump on the bandwagon. In 1992, J.C. Penny, targeting the Black community, began to import West African merchandise to be purchased in either their department stores or mail order catalogs. Their efforts were so successful that they developed a whole line of African American consumer products. For example, images of Kwanzaa Martin Luther King and Malcolm X adorned cotton throws and matching needlepoint pillows. J.C. Penny was not the only one to catch on to the fact that Malcolm X’s image was a hot commodity because Nordstrom soon opened a “X” clothing section in its department stores, which sold hats, shirts, and jackets, followed by Bloomingdales.
Marilyn Halter says in her book “Shopping for Identity”, “Could Malcolm X, whose name was associated with the ‘overthrow’ of the system…ever have imagined that his image would be invoked as the code for the perfect ‘throw’ in a system of home décor?”
Malcolm’s image, typically portrayed as “a red-brown man with heavy rimmed glasses talking passionately”, began to appear on countless merchandise items that typically included his quotes, helping to increase the sale of tapes of his speeches. Also following the release of “Malcolm X” in 1992, the symbol “X” began to represent his image as widely as his picture did. One African American scholar pointed out that the “the rush to purchase ‘X’ paraphernalia affected not only African Americans but also suburban Whites, Latinos and Asian Americans fascinated with Black youth cultures. Dubbed the ‘X’ generation, ad agencies boldly marketed ‘X’ products without even mentioning Malcolm. ‘Malcolmainia’ reached its high point.” Many didn’t even realize that the ‘X’ embodied Malcolm’s struggle for change in society as it symbolized the loss of identity for Africans enslaved in the Americas.
By marketing Malcolm X, America has integrated him into the very system that he so adamantly opposed. Amiri Baraka, an African American writer and activist, declares, “Malcolm X has long been popular among Black people. What we have now is White people exploiting the image for their own gain. Seeing young people wearing the X- baseball caps is one thing, but seeing Malcolm X in Bloomingdale’s boutique is another matter.”
As a cultural icon, Malcolm has never truly died. Today, he can be seen in every facet of popular culture. Malcolm’s legacy continues through modern times, captured in our television sets, apparel, art, literature, but most importantly in our hearts. It should be the mission of visionaries to ensure that his legacy lives on long after the death of his marketing appeal.
For Rahiel Tesfamariam send email to rahielt@washingtoninformer.com. |
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