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Malcom X
"ANY MEANS NECESSARY"
On May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska, Malcolm Little was born. He was the son of Earl and Louise Little. As a young boy he was discriminated against and called racial names by white people. Because of this, his family moved to Michigan where Malcolm's father, a Baptist minister, was killed by a group of white people. Malcolm was only six years old when his father died. The state felt that Malcolm's mother was not able to support her children, so they were taken away from her; which caused her to have a nervous breakdown. She was sent to a mental hospital. Malcolm was only 13 years old when his mother was sent away. Malcolm was sent to the reform school. The school was for boys and girls who were difficult for the authorities to handle. One day Malcolm told his English teacher that he wanted to become a lawyer when he grew up. His teacher said,"Malcolm, one of life's first needs is for us to be realistic. . . . A lawyer--that's no realistic goal for a nigger." Malcolm had been one of the top students in his class but soon after this conversation, he rebelled. He started to speak out of turn in class and became obnoxious, which got him kicked out of school. Then Malcolm moved to Detroit, where one of his older sisters lived. While he lived there, he learned how to be a hustler and drug dealer. Malcolm worked as a waiter and a shoe shiner, because there were not that many jobs for a young African-American man. Malcolm traveled back and forth from Boston to New York. In New York he straightened his hair and colored it red. Therefore, Malcolm received the nickname "Red." When Malcolm went back to Boston he robbed a jewelry store and was arrested. Malcolm was sent to jail for ten years in Charlestown, Massachusetts. While he was serving time in prison, Malcolm researched the library and was introduced to the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, who was the leader of The Nation of Islam. Malcolm liked what Elijah Muhammad was preaching and converted to Islam in 1947. In 1952, Malcolm was released from prison. He moved to Detroit to live with his brother. He started to work at a furniture store, which his brother managed. That same year, Malcolm went to Chicago to hear Elijah Muhammad speak. He was so convinced by what Elijah Muhammad said that he beagan preaching the words of Elijah Muhammad to others. Malcolm then became the assistant minister of a Detroit Nation of Islam temple and later moved up to become the first minister of a Boston temple in 1952. Elijah Muhammad's words affected Malcolm because Muhammad spoke of anti-white ideas that meant a lot to Malcolm at that time. He also taught how drugs, crime and oppresion were not acceptable according to his Islamic teachings. In 1964, Malcolm X went to make the religious pilgrimage to Mecca. That is where all Muslims are commanded to go once in their lifetime. There, Malcolm began to consider changing his views towards whites. In Mecca, he saw that it was possible for black and white people to live in brotherhood, which deeply touched him. After the pilgrimage, he adopted the name El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. When he returned, he started to preach his new ideas about black and white relations. Angry members of the Nation of Islam began to threaten to kill him. His home in Queens, New York, which he shared with his wife and six children, was firebombed in early February, 1965. When Malcolm X was giving a speech in the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem on February 21, 1965 he was shot down by Black Muslims. Malcolm X has been an inspiration
to African American people. He had the confidence to voice his opinion
and make sure he was being heard. He raised issues that the majority of
the American population did not care to discuss. Malcolm cherished and
taught others to appreciate freedom as the highest poltical principal.
He challenged the American system.
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