Malcolm X_ A Life of Reinvention - Manning Marable [322]
32 “she rented that out.” Yvonne Little Woodward interview, in Strickland and Greene, eds., Malcolm X: Make It Plain, p. 26.
32 as Philbert later admitted. Philbert Little interview, in ibid., p. 27.
32 “the hole that they had prepared.” Cyril McGuine interview, in ibid., p. 27.
33 “so happy to be around him that we worked.” Yvonne Little Woodward interview, in ibid., p. 28.
33 “go along with it—a Black Robin Hood!” Wilfred Little interview, in ibid., p. 28.
33 marital status, race, and other factors was widespread. See Susan Stein-Roggenbuck, “‘Wholly Within the Discretion of the Probate Court’: Judicial Authority and Mothers’ Pensions in Michigan, 1913-1940,” Social Service Review, vol. 79, no. 2 (June 2005), pp. 294-321. Michigan’s system of “mothers’ pensions” was not fully integrated into the federal government’s Aid to Dependent Children program until 1940.
33 “weren’t enough, as many as there were.” Malcolm X and Haley, Autobiography, pp. 12-13.
33 victims of the state’s bureaucracy. Ibid., pp. 18-19.
34 “would tell us stories about our ancestry.” Wilfred Little interview, in Strickland and Greene, eds., Malcolm X: Make It Plain, pp. 15-16.
34 take him in as a foster child. Malcolm X and Haley, Autobiography, pp. 14-15.
34 “mother threw a fit, though,” Malcolm related. Ibid., pp. 15-18; and Thaddeus M. Smith, “Gohanna Family,” in Robert L. Jenkins, ed., The Malcolm X Encyclopedia (Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2002), p. 240.
34 “look what they put my mother through.” Yvonne Little Woodward interview, in Strickland and Greene, eds., Malcolm X: Make It Plain, p. 29.
35 “to kneel . . . because she was independent.” Wilfred Little interview, in ibid., p. 28.
35 he “jilted my mother suddenly.” Malcolm X and Haley, Autobiography, p. 21; and Perry, Malcolm, pp. 30-32.
35 “watched our anchor giving way.” Ibid., p. 19; and Thaddeus M. Smith, “Gohanna Family,” in Jenkins, ed., Malcolm X Encyclopedia, p. 240.
35 for welcoming ex-convicts into their home. Malcolm X’s maternal half brother, Robert Little, discussed Malcolm’s experiences with the Gohanna family and Michigan’s foster care system, in Clara Hemphill, “Keep Children,” Newsday (New York), May 13, 1991.
35 did not know who or where she was. Malcolm X and Haley, Autobiography, p. 21; and Perry, Malcolm, pp. 30-32.
35 “an insane person . . . care and treatment in an institution.” Physician’s certificate of Louise Little’s institutionalization, January 3, 1939, in Strickland and Greene, eds., Malcolm X: Make It Plain, p. 32.
36 for the next twenty-four years. Mental Health File of Louise Little (B-4398), Ingham County Probate Court.
36 which contributed to neglect and improper diagnoses. See Catherine Jean Whitaker, “Almshouses and Mental Institutions in Michigan, 1871-1930,” Ph.D. dissertation, University of Michigan, 1986; and “Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital,” Clarence L. Miller Local History Room, Kalamazoo Public Library, Kalamazoo, Michigan.
36 likely to have included electroconvulsive therapy. William A. Decker, Asylum for the Insane: History of the Kalamazoo State Hospital (Traverse City, MI: Arbutus, 2007), pp. 34, 195, 196, 199.
36 Mason, ten miles south of Lansing. Hemphill, “Keep Children.” Also see FBI surveillance report of Malcolm X, NY 105-8999, May 23, 1955. The report’s number indicates that the file was prepared by the FBI’s New York City office.
37 “Red,” due to the color of his hair. Malcolm X and Haley, Autobiography, pp. 34-35.
37 “I jumped at the chance,” Malcolm recalled. Ibid., p. 36.
37 Massachusetts Avenue between Columbus and Huntington avenues. Ibid., pp. 37-38.
38 “white race as he is doing today.” Photograph of Mason’s 1940 football team, reprinted in Strickland and Greene, eds., Malcolm X: Make It Plain, p.