Louis E. Lomax was the center of attention without even trying. Each night, his was the only Black face on the nightly TV news. But now he had a decision to make – and it might put his life in danger.
It was the 1960s, and non-violent civil rights protesters were getting attacked in the streets.
But there was another movement going on that argued liberation should happen by ANY means necessary – peaceful or not! How did this affect Lomax?
If he was going to give a young militant like Malcolm X a platform, it would be very controversial. Lomax’s interview would reveal that not all Black people believed in nonviolence! Still, he went for it.
The interview was widely watched by all races. So what happened afterward?
Lomax got blasted from both Black and white communities! Still, he followed up with complex, critical investigations of the government and Black issues throughout his career.
After Malcolm X was assassinated, Lomax was allegedly involved in a documentary about X’s death – and soon ended up dead himself! Many scholars believe his involvement in the documentary led to his death.
Lomax understood one thing about working to topple white supremacy: unity doesn’t mean we always agree on everything. We can have different points of view and still work together toward liberation. Let’s keep working together through our differences!