Malcolm X (1992) Should Be Shown in High Schools (For More Than One Reason)

Now that we’re firmly entrenched in the age of streaming, the negatives are starting to catch up to the positives. But let’s not dwell on the former. One thing I like about most streaming services is the curation element. Some are better than others, but most of them offer timely recommendations that can come in handy when you’re plagued by decision paralysis.¹

Right now, it’s the first week of February, and two things are on most streamers’ minds: Valentine’s Day and Black History Month. But again, we’re not discussing the former today.² Because I got an email from Max on Monday about their Black Voices collection, and I was pleased to see Spike Lee’s Malcolm X featured as one of the centerpieces. It’s nice to know that thousands of people will cross that masterpiece off their watchlists this month.

But seeing that thumbnail for Malcolm X also gave me flashbacks to a conversation I had two months ago that’s been haunting me ever since.

A friend of mine told me and some others about a sociology professor at the University of Chicago that he knows. Back in August, this professor took a quick poll to see how many of her 25 students knew who Denzel Washington is—and not a single hand went up. Granted, this was before Gladiator II had been released, so maybe some of those students discovered our greatest living actor by way of his 56th film role.³ But the result still shook me.

I was with my sister’s family when I was having this virtual discussion, so I decided to poll my nieces (who are 17 and 15). The name “Denzel Washington” didn’t ring a bell. I pulled up photos of his face at various ages, and they didn’t recognize him at all.

My disappointment was palpable. How could this be? On one hand, I understand why a modern teenager wouldn’t have seen Training Day or American Gangster or The Equalizer. A quick glance at Denzel’s filmography will show you that most of his films are rated R. But do the parents of these kids not sit around watching The Magnificent Seven or Unstoppable? Did they never have a coach for a teacher who made them watch Remember the Titans on slow day? Hell, my 10th grade history teacher showed us Glory in class.⁴

But I couldn’t blame my nieces any more than I could blame those students in Chicago. Yes, I could shake my fist at the sky about how Netflix and TikTok have vanquished the culture of discovery in young people, but it’s not that simple. As a living ambassador of the 20th century, I know that much of the work rests on my people’s shoulders.

In other words, we need to show films like Malcolm X in high schools.

There are obvious reasons why this is a good idea, of course. It’s a great film about an important American figure whose legacy still resonates today. And it’s conducive to the classroom too, in a way. It’s rated PG-13, so any high school student should be allowed to watch it. And its length is a strength—at 3 hours and 22 minutes, it could be broken up into roughly 40-minute sections and shown across one full week.⁵

But Malcolm X isn’t just American history. It’s film history! Spike Lee was one of the first Black directors to enjoy mainstream success in Hollywood, and while his filmography isn’t without a few misses, it’s still an important body of work to the medium and to our culture. And then, of course, there’s the Denzel Washington of it all.⁶ Maybe there’s not a consensus that Malcolm X is Spike’s best film or Denzel’s best role, but we’re talking about a high school classroom, not Cahiers du Cinéma. Sometimes the easy answer is the right answer.

There’s even more to be gained by showing this film to young people, though. Having taught high school seniors and college students in the past, I can’t help but think about a particular scene that I believe would spark an excellent class discussion.

You can probably guess the scene if you’ve seen the film. But if you haven’t, it involves a young white woman approaching Malcolm X and his entourage, textbooks in hand. She doesn’t introduce herself, but she tells him that she’s read his speeches and found truth in them, and she assures him that she’s “a good person in spite of what [her] ancestors did.” Then she asks a question that’s clearly been weighing on her mind for quite some time: “What can a white person like myself, who isn’t prejudiced, what can I do to help you and further your cause?” Malcolm’s answer is as damning as it is brief: “Nothing.”

That 30 seconds is enough fuel for an entire lecture. Makes me kinda wish I was still teaching. At least I can be thankful that Malcolm X is not only readily available for the true believers but getting a boost this month from Max subscribers.⁷

Malcolm X is now streaming on Max, and it is available to rent elsewhere.

1. I have never been afflicted by this malady because my watchlist is so long, but I understand that I’m the outlier here.

2. That’ll be next week after we watch a sci-fi rom-com for Tape Night. Get your tickets now!

3. Depending on the day, I may or may not agree that Denzel is our greatest living actor. But if he’s not in the conversation for that title, you’re having the wrong conversation. So I think it’s easy to give him the mantle by default.

4. I’m actually not sure how she pulled this off, given that the film is rated R and none of us were 17. Did she talk the school into its educational value? Or is she a quiet renegade like my AP English teacher?

5. My teachers did this in 5th grade for Gone With the Wind, a film that is half an hour longer and also…let’s say “less educational” than Malcolm X.

6. By the way, remember how I said I’m going to see Kieran Culkin perform in Glengarry Glen Ross on Broadway? Well, my girlfriend got us tickets to see Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal in Othello that same weekend. I’m going to be very annoying about this all year, I’m afraid.

7. This is not an ad for Max. But if anyone working at Max reads this, it’s not not an ad for Max.