Malcolm X: Too Much Man for One Story

Malcolm’s Fidelity

Because of the careful protection of his image within the Nation of Islam and his awareness of his influence, it is unlikely that Malcolm would be careless enough to commit adultery — especially after news of Elijah Muhammad’s numerous affairs and illegitimate offspring rocked the Nation.  These exploits would become one of the main catalyst’s for Malcolm’s break from the sect.

Nevertheless, Manning gives two accounts of inappropriate behavior by Malcolm, the first occurring while he was traveling in Switzerland.  Malcolm ran into a woman named Fifi that he had met previously and, according to his personal diary entry, she surprised him by saying that she was madly in love with him.  He also mentioned in his journal that she stopped by his hotel room later that evening.  He did not, however, write any details about the visit.  This ambiguity led Marable to question Malcolm’s fidelity, though it is obviously unclear what actually happened. He later admits that, regarding that situation, “no certainty can be had.”

The second event, or series of events, centered around Sharon 6x Poole, a member of the Nation of Islam’s Harlem mosque.  Apparently she and Malcolm spent quite a bit of time together in the weeks before his death.  Marable even asserts that she may have visited his hotel the night before his assassination.  While their repeated interactions may have actually occurred, it is likely attributed to her affiliation with the Newark mosque, which was attended by each of the men who were ultimately responsible for Malcolm’s murder.  It is probable that Sharon’s role may have been to get close to Malcolm in hopes of discovering a weakness or some other inside information that could aid in the plot to kill him.

As Manning states, she currently lives in New Jersey with Linwood X Cathcart, a Nation of Islam loyalist who, against the wishes of Malcolm’s supporters, attended the rally at New York’s Audubon Theater when Malcolm was killed.  She was also a key police informant following the assassination, deftly shifting the blame away from the true perpetrators from New Jersey and focusing attention on members from Harlem Mosque No. 7.  These individuals may have had violent histories, but were nonetheless absent from the Audubon on February 21, 1965.  Manning asserts that, to this day, Poole “has maintained absolute silence about her relationships with both Malcolm X and Cathcart.”