Inside the paper-littered doorway of the storefront temple, a red hand-painted sign greeted visitors: “Welcome to MUHAMMAD’S TEMPLE NO. 7. Every Wed. & Fri. at 8:00 P.M. Sun. at 2:00 P.M. Elevator Service 4th Floor.” When Goodman arrived for his first meeting, two sharply dressed men acknowledged him: “Welcome, brother.” Climbing three flights of creaking, rotting stairs, he could hear the echo of black men’s voices. When he reached the fourth floor, which was much cleaner than the others, two large men directed him into the men’s room, where four other men stood bolt upright, eyes forward, lips closed. A stocky man in a dark suit, standing only a foot away from him, leaned in close enough to smell his breath and firmly asked, “Do you have any weapons, alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs in your possession?” Had he answered affirmatively or reeked of liquor, he would have been asked to leave. After Goodman emptied his pockets, the security guard frisked him thoroughly. When the inspection was over, the guard thanked him for his cooperation and informed him that he could enter the auditorium.12
Goodman walked inside the lecture hall and sat on a metal folding chair on the men’s side of the aisle, across from women dressed in white floor-length gowns and wearing head coverings. While he waited for the meeting to begin, he studied the blackboard, which was divided into two sides: one representing Christians, the other representing Muslims. On the left side, he saw an American flag framed by a cross and a silhouette of a black man hanging from a tree. In the corners of the flag, painted in bold letters, were the words Christianity, slavery, suffering, and death. On the opposite side, the corners of a red Muslim flag included the words Islam, freedom, justice, and equality. Beneath both flags, the congregation read the central question of the Nation: “WHO WILL SURVIVE THE WAR OF ARMAGEDDON?”13
As Goodman pondered the question, an assistant minister named Brother Henry walked to the front of the room and welcomed the congregation in Arabic: “As-Salaam-Alaikum”—“Peace be unto you.” The visitors replied in unison, “Wa-Alaikum-Salaam”—“Peace also be unto you.” Only during the greetings did the Nation’s Muslims use Arabic. Not even Elijah Muhammad—the Messenger himself—spoke or wrote the language.
While Brother Henry lectured, a tall, rail-thin, bespectacled man wearing a dark blue suit, white shirt, and red tie sat at a small table studying three-by-five index cards. Occasionally he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose while he penned notations. When Brother Henry introduced him, Malcolm X unfolded his body like a three-part extension ladder, rising from the chair. He gathered his index cards, the Bible, and the Koran, and walked toward the podium.14
Malcolm surveyed the packed auditorium, grinning. Then he began, “As-Salaam-Alaikum.”
“Wa-Alaikum-Salaam.”
Malcolm lectured on a variety of topics that day: the history of slavery, “Negro” ministers who preached the “white man’s religion,” the Bible—that “book of poison”—and the evils of consuming pork. He did not say much about the Johnson Hinton case, but he promised that if the police ever attacked another Muslim brother or sister, then they would “be dealing with Malcolm X.” Goodman had never heard a black man speak with such unbridled confidence and authority. Malcolm talked plainly in a language that everyone in the audience understood, with a directness that bordered on open rebellion.15
At the end of the meeting, visitors were invited to join the Nation. Malcolm asked them to raise their hands if they believed what he said was true. Goodman raised his hand. If a visitor could not commit to the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm asserted, the Muslims would not persecute him. “You are among the deaf, dumb, and blind,” he explained in a friendly voice. Returning to the temple for further study about “the teaching of the devil,” he said, would reveal hidden truths.16
After visiting the temple twice more, Goodman penned an initiation letter—the same letter that every convert wrote. After reading the letter, the applicant copied it verbatim by hand:
Date
Mr. W. F. Muhammad
4847 So. Woodlawn Avenue
Chicago 15, Illinois
Dear Savior Allah, Our Deliverer:
I have been attending the teachings of Islam by one of your Ministers, two or three times. I believe in It, and I bear witness that there is no God but Thee, and that Muhammad is Thy Servant and Apostle. I desire to reclaim my own. My slave name is as follows:
Name
Address
City and State