Malcolm X
Malcolm Little was born on May 19th 1925 in Omaha,
Nebraska to parents Earl and Louise Little. His father was an outspoken Baptist
minister who pushed civil rights and received many death rights causing the
family to have to relocate several times. In 1929 their home in Michigan burned
down. Two years later, Malcolm’s father’s death was suspected to be caused by
the Klu Klux Klan. His mother was sent to a mental institution eight years later
and all of her eight kids were put in orphanages and foster
homes.
Malcolm was a smart student and told his teacher he wanted to be
a lawyer when he was in high school. People told him blacks couldn’t be lawyers
and it was an unreasonable goal for a black person to want to become a lawyer.
After this, Malcolm dropped out of high school and moved to Boston. He held
several jobs and moved three more times to Flint, Michigan, Harlem, New York,
and back to Boston. During the few years he spent moving around he started a
street career as a pimp, drug dealer, and gambler. In 1946 he was sent to jail
for burglary.
In prison, Little read anything he could get his hands on. Inspired by his brother’s conversion to
Islam, he read about Elijah Muhammad’s teaching and the Nation of Islam. Malcolm
dropped his slave name “Little” and chose “X” to represent his lost tribal name.
After being released from jail in 1952, he devoted himself to the Islam religion
and joined the Nation of Islam. He was appointed spokesman and helped bring the
group’s membership from 500 to 30,000 Islamic Americans. In 1958 Malcolm X
married Betty X and had six daughters.
X started working on civil rights and different from Martin
Luther King Jr., he didn’t support non-violent protest but instead suggested
blacks should protect themselves “by any means necessary”.Later, his faith was
challenged when he found out that Elijah Muhammad seduced several women in the
Nation of Islam and some bore his children. In 1964, Malcolm X left the Nation
of Islam. After this, he founded his own religious group and took a pilgrimage
to Saudi Arabia where he met people of all races he felt he could call his
brothers. He renamed himself El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz and came back to the U.S
with new hope for the future. He also founded another group to unite blacks all
over America.
Because he left the group, Malcolm was considered a threat to
the Nation of Islam. He was informed that people were planning to assassinate
him and his house was firebombed during this time. Luckily him, and his family
were safe. On February 21st1965, Malcolm X was giving a presentation
at the Audubon Ballroom when he was shot 15 times by three Islam gunmen at close
range. X was announced dead on arrival at 39 years old in a New York hospital.
He was buried at the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. A public viewing
was held February 23rd– February 26th at Harlem’s Unity
Funeral Home. It was estimated 14,000 – 30,000 mourners
arrived.
Nebraska to parents Earl and Louise Little. His father was an outspoken Baptist
minister who pushed civil rights and received many death rights causing the
family to have to relocate several times. In 1929 their home in Michigan burned
down. Two years later, Malcolm’s father’s death was suspected to be caused by
the Klu Klux Klan. His mother was sent to a mental institution eight years later
and all of her eight kids were put in orphanages and foster
homes.
Malcolm was a smart student and told his teacher he wanted to be
a lawyer when he was in high school. People told him blacks couldn’t be lawyers
and it was an unreasonable goal for a black person to want to become a lawyer.
After this, Malcolm dropped out of high school and moved to Boston. He held
several jobs and moved three more times to Flint, Michigan, Harlem, New York,
and back to Boston. During the few years he spent moving around he started a
street career as a pimp, drug dealer, and gambler. In 1946 he was sent to jail
for burglary.
In prison, Little read anything he could get his hands on. Inspired by his brother’s conversion to
Islam, he read about Elijah Muhammad’s teaching and the Nation of Islam. Malcolm
dropped his slave name “Little” and chose “X” to represent his lost tribal name.
After being released from jail in 1952, he devoted himself to the Islam religion
and joined the Nation of Islam. He was appointed spokesman and helped bring the
group’s membership from 500 to 30,000 Islamic Americans. In 1958 Malcolm X
married Betty X and had six daughters.
X started working on civil rights and different from Martin
Luther King Jr., he didn’t support non-violent protest but instead suggested
blacks should protect themselves “by any means necessary”.Later, his faith was
challenged when he found out that Elijah Muhammad seduced several women in the
Nation of Islam and some bore his children. In 1964, Malcolm X left the Nation
of Islam. After this, he founded his own religious group and took a pilgrimage
to Saudi Arabia where he met people of all races he felt he could call his
brothers. He renamed himself El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz and came back to the U.S
with new hope for the future. He also founded another group to unite blacks all
over America.
Because he left the group, Malcolm was considered a threat to
the Nation of Islam. He was informed that people were planning to assassinate
him and his house was firebombed during this time. Luckily him, and his family
were safe. On February 21st1965, Malcolm X was giving a presentation
at the Audubon Ballroom when he was shot 15 times by three Islam gunmen at close
range. X was announced dead on arrival at 39 years old in a New York hospital.
He was buried at the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. A public viewing
was held February 23rd– February 26th at Harlem’s Unity
Funeral Home. It was estimated 14,000 – 30,000 mourners
arrived.