Summary of Peniel E. Joseph's The Sword and the Shield

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

#1 Following the deportation of Marcus Garvey, the Black Star Line, and the Great Migration, black nationalism did not so much decline as it transformed into diminished versions of the movement.

#2 Earl and Louise’s shared love for social justice drew them to an itinerant lifestyle that was only predictable by the frequency of childbirth and relocation. Their political activism in parts of the Midwest attracted threats from local white supremacist groups, which forced the family to flee.

#3 After Earl’s death, Malcolm tried to re-create the family structure he had lost. He had a natural affinity for reading, debating, and social engagement, and he was touted as a charismatic leader at a young age.

#4 In 1941, Malcolm moved in with his half sister, Ella Mae Collins, in Boston. He began to rebel against the conventions of black and white middle-class ambitions. He didn’t want to work a dead-end job, and he didn’t want to join the military. He wanted to enjoy a life constrained by Jim Crow to the fullest.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Apr 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669385158

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Insights on Peniel E. Joseph's The Sword and the Shield

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Following the deportation of Marcus Garvey, the Black Star Line, and the Great Migration, black nationalism did not so much decline as it transformed into diminished versions of the movement.

#2

Earl and Louise’s shared love for social justice drew them to an itinerant lifestyle that was only predictable by the frequency of childbirth and relocation. Their political activism in parts of the Midwest attracted threats from local white supremacist groups, which forced the family to flee.

#3

After Earl’s death, Malcolm tried to re-create the family structure he had lost. He had a natural affinity for reading, debating, and social engagement, and he was touted as a charismatic leader at a young age.

#4

In 1941, Malcolm moved in with his half sister, Ella Mae Collins, in Boston. He began to rebel against the conventions of black and white middle-class ambitions. He didn’t want to work a dead-end job, and he didn’t want to join the military. He wanted to enjoy a life constrained by Jim Crow to the fullest.

#5

In 1944, Malcolm returned to Boston to be reunited with his girlfriend Bea, and he began hustling cocaine. He eventually turned in his entire crew after police caught him selling a stolen watch to a pawnbroker while carrying a loaded handgun.

#6

In 1947, Malcolm was transferred to the Massachusetts Reformatory at Concord, where he first encountered the Nation of Islam. The group’s eclectic philosophy combined aspects of black nationalism, Pan-Africanism, and religious mythology to preach a version of Islam that identified whites as the creation of a misguided black scientist named Yacub.

#7

The Nation of Islam promoted black political self-determination, and it was this aspect of their teachings that appealed to Malcolm. The organization’s strict moral rectitude and rigid code of conduct mirrored Earl Little’s efforts to politicize his family during their itinerant sojourns through the Midwest.

#8

Malcolm began to reform himself while he was in prison. He took classes, read books, and became very religious. He converted many inmates to Islam, and became a faith leader and religious activist within the prison.

#9

After prison, Malcolm wanted to make sense of his