Malcolm X was an activist who fought for the rights of the African-American community during the 1950s and 1960s, in the era of civil rights movements in the United States. An adherent of Islam, he was part of an African-American organization called the Nation of Islam between the years 1952 and 1964.
Malcolm X's Youth
Malcolm X was born on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska. His registered name was Malcolm Little, and his parents were Earl Little and Louise Little. Malcolm's father was a Baptist reverend who served as an activist for the African American community in an organization called the Universal Black Improvement Association (Universal Association for the Progress of Blacks, in a free translation).
Malcolm's father's role in the struggle for African-Americans meant that his family suffered intense persecution from white supremacists, especially members of the Ku Klux Klan. The chase caused Malcolm's family to move cities twice:first from Omaha to Milwaukee and then to Lansing, Michigan.
However, even in Lansing, the persecution against Earl and his family continued:first, with their house being burned down, and second, with the murder of Earl Little in 1931. Malcolm's father's murder has never been clarified for sure, but it is speculated that he was likely murdered by white supremacists.
After his father's murder, Malcolm's mother developed mental health problems and had to be hospitalized. Malcolm and his brothers were sent to adoption centers in Lansing. Malcolm lived in Lansing until 1941, when he moved to Boston to live with his sister.
Malcolm X goes to jail
Malcolm's sister was called Ella Little-Collins and she promptly welcomed him into her home. In Boston, Malcolm started working as a shoeshine boy and, based on some local friendships, became acquainted with bohemia. He began to frequent bars and consume alcoholic beverages and drugs and soon began to commit petty crimes. In one of these offenses, he was arrested by the police and sentenced to ten years in prison.
Malcolm was sentenced in 1946 and he was sent to a prison in Norfolk, Massachusetts. During his time in prison, Malcolm was influenced by his brother Reginald Little to learn about the Nation of Islam, an organization that advocated for African American rights and the idea of forming a society of blacks separate from that of whites.
From there, Malcolm X developed the habit of reading, making use of the existing library in his prison. Furthermore, he went on to keep in touch with the leader of the Nation of Islam, Elijah Mohammad, who claimed to be a messenger chosen by Allah. Malcolm's rapprochement with Elijah resulted in Malcolm's conversion to Islam and joining the Nation of Islam in 1952.
Malcolm as an activist
After leaving prison, Malcolm became an active member of the Nation of Islam, becoming a minister at the organization's temple in Harlem (a borough of New York). In addition to possessing excellent rhetoric, Malcolm became a journalist and began to write constantly for the newspaper maintained by the Nation of Islam.
As part of the ritual to enter the Nation of Islam, Malcolm dropped his surname "Little", as it was seen as a legacy of the slave-holding past that his country had bequeathed to him, and adopted the "X". Furthermore, his entry into the Nation of Islam also made Malcolm give up drug use as a way of purifying his body.
Malcolm's rhetoric as a Nation of Islam activist popularized him, especially in 1959, when a documentary was broadcast by the United States. The documentary was called “Nation of Islam:The hate that hat produced ” (something like “Nation of Islam:the hate that hate created”). This documentary popularized Malcolm X's ideas in the United States.
In general, Malcolm X evoked the superiority of blacks and the need to form an autonomous state for the African American community. Malcolm X asserted that goals for the benefit of the African American community should be carried out by any means necessary and that, if threatened, African Americans should use violence for self-defense.
Malcolm X's rise in popularity has not resonated well within the Nation of Islam. Some disagreements with other members and with the organization's leader, Elijah Mohammad, caused Malcolm X to leave the organization in 1964. After that, Malcolm X made trips through Mecca - the holy city of Islam - and the African continent, returning to America. with new ideas and visions that preached conciliation rather than rupture.
Malcolm's Murder
However, Malcolm X's departure from the Nation of Islam has earned him a number of enemies. On February 21, 1965, while speaking in Harlem, Malcolm X was the target of a gunshot attack. Shot by more than ten bullets, Malcolm X succumbed to his wounds and died en route to the hospital. His executioners were probably members of the Nation of Islam.
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*Image credits:aradaphotography and Shutterstock
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