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Malcolm X

Malcolm X On May 19, 1925 Malcolm Little was born to Louise and Earl Little. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska. Malcolm was the seventh of eleven children. Malcolm’s father, Earl, was a Baptist minister from Reynolds, Georgia. His mother was raised in Grenada in the British West Indies. His father was also became an organizer for Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association. Marcus Garvey and his followers fought for racial separation and more power for blacks. Growing up, Malcolm’s family moved a lot due to violence and prejudices aimed at his family. They finally decided to settle in Lansing, Michigan in the late 1920’s. In 1929, the Little family’s house was firebombed while the whole family was inside sleeping. It was suspected that racists or members of the Ku Klux Klan committed the arson. However, since police and firemen just stood watching as the house burnt to the ground, they did not believe that the arson was a hate crime. In September 1931 Earl Little was found dead beside the local trolley tracks. He had apparently been crushed by the trolley tracks. Earl was believed to have been murdered by a group of racists. Malcolm’s mother was left to raise the children on her own. They lived in extremely poor conditions. In 1939, Louise Little was declared legally insane and committed to a mental institution in Kalamazoo, Michigan. With no one to care for them, Malcolm’s younger siblings were placed in foster homes. Malcolm, himself, was already under foster care due to juvenile delinquency. (Haley) Malcolm graduated from junior high at the top of his class. He exceeded academically and athletically. He had always dreamed of becoming a lawyer. However, a teacher shattered his dreams by telling him he should be a carpenter instead because of his color. Despite his intelligence, Malcolm was discouraged to go any further in school because of his race. Instead, he moved to Roxbury, a predominantly black section of Boston, with his sister Ella and her husband. Malcolm took on his first job in Roxbury as a shoe-shiner. Here, Malcolm learned the role of a hustler. (Haley) In 1942, Malcolm decided to get a job as a railroad dining car porter and settle in Harlem. While in Harlem, Malcolm got mixed up in robbery, prostitution, narcotics, and many other criminal activities. Living the life of a hustler, drug dealer, and pimp made Malcolm notorious on the streets. Malcolm also became addicted to drugs. He was even given the nickname “Red” because of his red hair. Malcolm said jail, jobs, and the army were the three things that worried him the most. (Breitman) After only a year in Harlem, Malcolm moved back to Boston and continued his life of crime. There he created a house-robbing gang. It all caught up with him in February of 1946. He was arrested, convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison in Charleston, Massachusetts for burglary. (Haley) While in prison, Malcolm began educating himself in history, philosophy, religion, and literature. He read the works of de Bois, who founded the NAACP in 1909, Shakespeare, Socrates, and Esop. He also carefully studied the lives of Ghandi and Net Turner. After joining the prison debate team, he was given the opportunity to compete against Harvard and M.I.T. students visiting the prison. Malcolm also decided to become a follower of Elijah Muhammad (Haley). Muhammad was the leader of a small, urban prophet-cult that would later be referred to as the Nation of Islam. “They stressed ethical conduct with other African Americans but taught that white people were “devils”” (Compton’s). The Nation of Islam had branches in Detroit, Chicago, and New York. After being released from prison in 1952, Malcolm moved in with his brother in Detroit, Michigan. He decided to officially join the Nation of Islam and quit using his “slave name”, Little, and began using the name “X” (Haley). Under the leadership of Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm was made minister and top administrator of the Muslim movement. Malcolm X spoke in the streets to crowds of people pointing out injustices done to blacks and encouraging blacks to join the Muslim movement. By the late 1950’s, Malcolm X was known as the Nation of Islam’s best spokesperson. He went on to found mosques in Boston, Philadelphia, and Harlem. Malcolm was given credit for the expansion of membership, which reached 30,000 nationally in 1963 (Stine). Tension between Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X grew when Malcolm’s interests became more and more political and he became more interested in the civil rights movement. Malcolm eventually grew critical of Elijah Muhammad. After commenting about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Malcolm was “silenced” for 90 days. However, in March of 1964, Malcolm X decided to leave the Nation of Islam and form the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU). “He began to articulate a more secular black nationalism, arguing that blacks should control the politics within their own community and, through his speeches, encouraging his followers to use the ballot to effect change” (Stine). Malcolm X journeyed to Mecca, Saudi Arabia in 1964 and began to re-think his views toward integration. He wanted to learn about the true Islam. While in Mecca, Malcolm X was impressed by the way that pilgrims of all colors interacted with each other. He decided that whites and blacks were both victims of a racist society. Malcolm X believed that the key to unification of people from all races was Islam. Malcolm’s goal was to persuade blacks all over the world to unite and fight against racism. “I have learned that not all white people are racist. I am against every form of racism and segregation, every form of discrimination. I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color” (Breitman). Malcolm X felt an ever-present danger for his life. He knew that people other than white supremacists did not like him. On February 14, 1965 his house was fire bombed. Luckily no one was hurt. Malcolm X was also under observation by the F.B.I. (Stine) On February 21, 1965 Malcolm X was set to deliver a speech at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem for the OAAU. He was prepared to come forward and talk about the attacks on his life and name who he thought was at the head of all of this. He never delivered that speech to the filled auditorium. As he rose to begin his speech, Malcolm X was gunned down by multiple assassins a few feet from his wife and children. No motive for the assassination was ever discovered. Talmadge Hayer, Norman 3X Butler, and Thomas 15X Johnson were convicted in March of 1966 for first-degree murder (Stine). Malcolm was an intelligent an incredible man. He lived a life full of racism and not a day went by that he wasn’t aware of it. The hurtful acts of racism and prejudice made a huge impact on Malcolm’s life. The events that Malcolm endured lead him down many different paths. Ultimately, Malcolm used religion as his way to make a breakthrough. America and the rest of the world influenced Malcolm X to become the person he was. His life influenced America and the rest of the world. Breitman, George,ed. Malcolm X Speaks: Selected Speeches and Statements. Grove- Compton’s Encyclopedia Online. http://www.optonline.com/comptons/ceo/02959_A.html Haley, Alex and Malcolm X. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Ballantine. 1992. Stine, Megan. Story of Malcolm X, Civil Rights Leader. Dell. 1994. Bibliography:

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