The Life of Malcolm X

Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in Omaha,prominent in the movement. He changed his
Nebraska on May 19, 1925. His father, Earl Littlesurname, dropping 'Little' as he viewed it as his
was an outspoken Baptist preacher and an avidslave name and adopting the surname X to signify
supporter of the Black Nationalist leader Marcusthe tribal identity that had being lost to him
Garvey. The young Malcolm was to be mouldedforever.
by his father and the terrible oppression that wasHe was soon appointed as a minister and national
inflicted upon his family. The family was forced tospokesman for the Nation of Islam and was
move twice after receiving death threats fromcharged with the establishment of new mosques.
white supremacists. The family eventually settledCharismatic and compelling, Malcolm began to
in Lansing, Michigan but their efforts to escapeseriously increase the membership of the Nation,
trouble failed, the family home was burned to theutilising all forms of media to spread the
ground and two years later Earl Little was foundmovement's vision. He began to become a media
dead in suspicious circumstances.magnet, being featured in countless interviews,
His father's death had a devastating effect on theprogrammes and articles. He was featured in a
family, his mother began to suffer mentalweek long television programme called The Hate
problems, eventually being committed to a mentalThat Hate Produced with Mike Wallace in 1959.
institution. Devastatingly, the children were brokenThe programme explored the movement and
up and sent to different foster homes andMalcolm's place in it, by the end of the run, it was
orphanages. The young Malcolm was movedapparent that Malcolm X had eclipsed his mentor
around a series of white foster homes, he wasElijah Muhammad's influence within the movement.
certainly unsettled but he managed to remainAs opposed to the civil rights movement, the
focussed on his studies, graduating from juniorNation condoned any means necessary to achieve
high school at the top of his class. However, whenit's aims. Such a stance alarmed the authorities,
a favourite teacher scoffed at his lofty ideals ofFBI agents infiltrated the organisation and began
becoming a lawyer, telling him that such highto monitor all the group's activities.
aspirations were not for a black man, he droppedBy 1963, Malcolm had become disillusioned with
out of school entirely. He moved to Boston to livethe Nation; he had learnt that his mentor Elijah
with his older half-sister Ella Little Collins.Muhammad had secretly being having affairs with
Collins lived in Roxbury, which was the centre ofseveral women within the movement and indeed
the African-American community in Boston.some had given birth to his children. Malcolm was
Malcolm was attracted to the energetic, bubbling,dismayed, Muhammad had taught celibacy.
communal lifestyle. He worked a number of oddMalcolm felt cheated and more importantly he felt
jobs, before taking to the road and drifting fromthat he had in turn cheated all the people that he
city to city; he eventually shored up in Harlem,had persuaded to join the Nation which he now
New York. He began to peddle in the criminalperceived as a fraudulent organisation. To
underbelly of the city, becoming involved incompound the fall-out, Malcolm had made scathing
narcotics, prostitution and racketeering rings. Hecomments about JFK's assassination, the Nation
managed to avoid the draft during World Warpublicly censured their talisman, Malcolm had
Two by putting on a show of madness when heenough and split from the movement. He founded
was being interviewed. In 1945 he returned tohis own religious organisation, the Muslim Mosque
Boston becoming involved in a number ofInc. and a secular organisation, the Organisation of
robberies, he was soon arrested, charged andAfro-American Unity, a group that advocated
sentenced to ten years imprisonment. He servedblack nationalism. In the spring of 1964, he
his sentence at the Massachusetts State Prison inconverted to Sunni Islam and embarked upon a
Charlestown. It was there that he met John Eltonpilgrimage to Mecca, it was to fundamentally alter
Bembry, who would profoundly influence Malcolm'shis outlook.
way of thinking. Malcolm was hugely moved byDuring his pilgrimage, he encountered and
the way in which Bembry stirred respectobserved Muslims of different races interacting as
amongst his fellow prisoners just through the useequals, he began to believe that Islam could be
of words and language.used as a vehicle with which racial problems could
The two struck up a friendship, Bembrybe overcome. On his return to America, he began
encouraged Malcolm to educate himself. In 1949,to preach not just solely to African Americans
after being informed of the Nation of Islam by hisbut to all races, his vision had definitely broadened.
brother, Malcolm began to become veryThis led to an even further deterioration in
interested in the movement. The Nationrelations between Malcolm and The Nation of
promoted the concept of black self reliance andIslam, the latter taking the rather drastic decision
actively sought to assist African-Americans inof marking him for assassination. Tragically, on 21
achieving political, economic and social success. HeFebruary 1965, whilst speaking at an Organisation
began to correspond with the leader of the Nationof Afro-American Unity meeting, Malcom X was
of Islam, Elijah Muhammad and soon became ashot and killed by three gunmen who rushed the
member. In 1952, Malcolm was released formstage.
prison, he went to visit Muhammad, becoming