Malcolm Little was born on the 19th of May, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. His mother, Louise Norton Little looked after him and his seven siblings. Malcolm’s father, Earl Little, was an outspoken Baptist minister and a civil rights activist in his own right, which led to him receiving death threats from a secret society made up of white people much like the KKK, called the Black Legion. These threats forced Malcolm’s family to relocate two times before he had even turned four years old. In 1929 the Black Legion had found the Littles and their house had been burned to the ground by the Legion. In 1931, just 2 years later, Earl was found dead lying across the town’s trolley tracks. After the death of Earl, Malcolm’s mother had a terrible breakdown and was placed in a mental institution. Malcolm and his siblings were split up into various foster homes and orphanages after their mother had been taken away.
Eventually, Malcolm made his way to Boston. In 1946 he and one of his friends were arrested and and sentenced to 10 years in prison on burglary charges. But after he served 7 years Malcolm was released for good behaviour. His brother Reginald would come to visit him and discuss his conversion to the Muslim religion. Malcolm was interested in this religion and began to study the teachings of Elijah Muhammad. Muhammad taught that white society actively worked to keep African Americans from achieving anything they wanted to do politically, socially, or economically. The Nation of Islam fought for a state of their own, separate from one of the white people, this was the reason Malcolm changed his surname to X, because he considered the name Little to be a slave name and that X would signify his lost tribal name.
Malcolm was eventually appointed as a minister and national spokesman for the Nation of Islam. He spread their message across the United States preaching to many people. A few years later, in 1958, Malcolm married the love of his life Betty Shabazz. The crowds and controversy surrounding Malcolm him an absolute media magnet. Malcolm was largely credited with increasing membership in the NOI from 500 in 1952 to 30,000 in 1963. Not only the media was intrigued, but Malcolm’s personality captured the government's attention and they tried to bring the NOI down. In March 1964 Malcolm terminated his relationship with the Nation of Islam. In the same year, he went on a pilgrimage. He found a new outlook on life and returned to the United States to not only preach to African Americans but people of all races and colors.
After he had been back in the States for a while an undercover FBI informant working in the Nation of Islam warned officials that Malcolm had been marked for assassination. After his life had been threatened repeatedly, and on the 21st of February 1965, three gunmen rushed onstage. They shot him 15 times. Malcolm was pronounced dead as soon as he arrived at the hospital. The legacy of Malcolm X has been honored through generations as he has been the main subject of numerous documentaries, books, and movies. His life will always be remembered.
Bibliography
- Unknown. (Unknown ). Malcolm X. Available: https://www.malcolmx.com/biography/. Last accessed 25th Sep 2019.
- Wikipedia. (Unknown ). Malcolm X. Available: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X. Last accessed 25th Sep 2019.
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Essay on What Is Malcolm X Early Life.
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