My father did the same thing with me in the early 70s when I was a young child.
But then Malcolm X was an much fresher peoples mind then. As immigrants from West Africa in London, there was obviously some racism. In the UK then, we would admire these great leaders such as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, they were our heroes. These heroes were not taught in in schools, however I would teach me about these great leaders, explain their politics and the recite their great speeches. These days we are very lucky and blessed to have great multicultural society worldwide. These great men, should be remembered for their work to help create multicultural society.