William A. (“Sandy”) Darity Jr. is the Samuel DuBois Cook Professor of Public Policy, African and African American Studies, and Economics and the director of the Duke Consortium on Social Equity at Duke University. Black men who express or demonstrate a willingness to take violent action in the cause of liberation stir a vast response in American literature and film. The portrayals of Malcolm X and Nat Turner in both fiction and historical works constitute paradigmatic examples of that interest. Darity's presentation will explore the thick array of parallels in the treatment of these two militant figures in America’s racial iconography. A central message. paraphrasing the title of Charles Burnett’s film on the Turner revolt, is both men are “troublesome properties”in terms of who “owns” their respective stories. This presentation was part of "The American Malcolm" panel that took place Friday, February 20, 2015 as part of the The Legacy of Malcolm X conference. The conference was sponsored by Duke Islamic Studies Center. Cosponsors were Asian & Middle Eastern Studies (Duke University), Department of Religious Studies (Duke University), African and African American Studies (Duke University), and the Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations (UNC-Chapel Hill). Co-organizers for the conference are Omid Safi (Duke), Juliane Hammer (UNC-CH), and Mark Anthony Neal (Duke).