Post 8

In "Sponsors of Literacy" by Deborah Brandt, a sponsor is defined as the figures who influence the level of literacy in others.  They tend to be those who are higher in society in like teachers, priests, editors, authors, military officers, or they are those who may hold a personal relationship like family members.  Sponsors will, "lend their resources or credibility to the sponsored but also stand to gain benefits from their success, whether by direct repayment or, indirectly, by credit of association.  

The first sponsor Malcolm X ever had was his 8th grade teacher. Normally, teachers are positive sponsors, but his teacher told him his race would prevent his dream of becoming a lawyer.  This deterred his want for knowledge at this age and caused him to drop out during that year.

His first positive sponsor was probably Elijah Muhammad.  X wanted to be able to write what he thought to Muhammad but was not able to express himself.  This frustration caused him to yearn for knowledge, just as his second sponsor, Bimbi, had.  In the Charlestown prison, Bimbi had "a stock of knowledge," and Malcolm began "reading" books, even if all he read was only a few words he already knew.  The next sponsor he gained was the Norfolk Prison Colony.  This is where he became very serious about wanting knowledge and knowing how to write properly.  As he learned and copied the dictionary, he gained literacy, and was able to read many articles by Muhammad and others and learn about the white man's oppression of all types of colored peoples.  

These sponsors were those of X because of his position in life.  He was a child raised in various foster homes.  He had nothing and was on the streets for years of his life.  Poverty leads to crime, and crime leads to prison.  So, coming to prison is mostly due to socioeconomic conditions and low class position.  Muhammad and others writing of African and other colored people were popular with X because this was the history he came from since he was African American.

His sponsors were a very positive part of his life.  He really defined who he was with their influence.  If he did not have them and had not taken the initiative he would have ended up in some other prison.  The sponsors really helped to give him a bright future and follow his beliefs until, unfortunately, he was assassinated.  These sponsors could also have been slightly negative to the point where this seemed to be  the subject in which X was educated.  This was his choice, though, not that of the sponsors.