Two stray thoughts
1. Seems like part of the effectiveness of Malcolm X was his organized crime background. Perhaps because of it he knew better how to organize people and stand up to the police, perhaps in ways that other leaders would not.
2. It's very surprising, but the cadence of the way E.M. talked, at least early in the film, seemed very similar to that of Obama, even though they were saying very different things. But the cadence, the style of speaking, was similar. Wonder if there was an influence there, conscious or otherwise.