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Malcolm x biography essay
An essay about Malcolm X
Malcolm x biography essay
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Malcolm Little commonly known as Malcolm X was born May 19, 1925 in Omaha, NE. ( The legacy of Malcolm X ) Everyone thinks that they know the one true Malcolm X but doesn’t know what was behind the stern faced guy. When Malcolm was little he had a very rough childhood from growing up in a racist environment and wanting to be like the white people. Malcolm would scrub and burn his skin just wanting to be like the average white man. He cried every night wondering why God chose him to be a black man, Sooner than later he will realize the reason god picked him during the time of segregation and racism. The discrimination Malcolm X faced as a child caused him to fight for racial equality using violent means which impacted America in the 1960’s. …show more content…
While Malcolm X was in prison, he became a member of the Nation of Islam, doing this sparked something in him which made him wanting to change his life and rules of living. Malcolm got out of jail and was on parole in 1952, after his parole he started doing more spoken words to people to influence them into joining. Malcolm quickly became one of the organization's most influential leaders. Malcolm served as the public face of the controversial group for over than 11 years. In his autobiography, Malcolm X explains some of the proudly of some of the social achievements the Nation of Islam made while he was a member, particularly its free drug rehabilitation …show more content…
In 1956, she joined the Nation of Islam, changing her name to Betty X. One-on-one dates were contrary to the Nation's teachings, so the couple interacted with each other at social events with hundreds of others, and Malcolm X made a point of inviting her on the frequent group visits he led to New York City's museums and libraries. Malcolm X proposed to Betty during a telephone call from Detroit in January 1958, and they married two days later. They had six daughters: Attallah, Qubilah, Ilyasah, Gamilah Lumumba and twins Malikah and
This was due to the fact that Malcolm felt his hero and mentor, Elijah Muhammad, had betrayed him. Muhammad had violated his own teachings of marital affairs when he had fathered several children out of wedlock. After this fallout with Muhammad, Malcolm went on a journey to Africa where he did the Hajj, which was the traditional Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. After his pilgrimage to Mecca Malcolm X converted to traditional Islam and again changed his name to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz.
Malcolm X while in prison completed his first transformation. Like many great figures and history makers had a low point in is life. At this time Malcolm was into drugs, hustling, women and money. He became so dependant on making a lot of money he and some of his friends decided to rob the house of an old white man. They were caught for this crime and were not only charged with this crime but were also charged with having sex with white women. Malcolm and his friend "Shorty" were sentenced to six years in prison. The two white women that were Malcolm and Shorty’s accomplices were sentenced to a year in jail. During the first couple days of prison Malcolm was coming off a drug high and was having withdrawals. These withdrawals led Malcolm into solitary confinement for two months. When he was let out of his chamber he met the man that would later be responsible for Malcolm’s transformation. This man was a follower of the nation of Islam and the great Alijah Muhammad. Malcolm learned a great deal form him. This shows us that even in the worst of circumstances we can learn and become better. This transformation was a great test for Malcolm and starts to let us see what a great influence he would end up being in the lives of many Americans.
Malcolm X was often encountered by Muslims from other countries who wished to “enlighten” him with what they felt was true Islam. He was initially very skeptical towards these claims but eventually his curiosity got the better of him. To get to know the religion better, Malcolm was directed by his friends to an Egyptian professor in New York, Dr. Mahmoud Youssef
Malcolm X, born in 1925 as Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska lived with the knowledge that his family house was burned down and that his father was killed by the Ku Klux Klan because he refused to vacate an area that was “supposed” to be for Whites only. His father was an independent man who wanted to fend for his family by himself and not have to rely on anyone
However, it was what happened in his life that made Malcolm X the man who people remember today. From a very early age, Little lived in fear of racism and hate groups, much of it rooting from his father’s murder by white supremacists. He was effectively orphaned by 13, as his mother was placed in a mental institution, and lived until he was 20 in several different foster homes. He was arrested for a crime and once released, went on to commit several crimes, including using and distributing drugs, etc. It was when he was imprisoned that he found the Nation of Islam, who helped him when he was released from prison to find a new life. From them, he was able to attain great oratory skills and create an environment when he spoke in which the people around him, white and black alike, felt empowered and equal. Once he discovered corruption and began to disdain the Nation of Islam, he became independent and was later assassinated. However, he along with MLK, were empowered by their stories, Malcolm’s being one of hatred, poverty, hope, and truth, that changed him to become a stimulus for African American equality in
Malcolm X should be everyone’s hero, someone people like myself should look up to as a human being. Anyone who thinks otherwise is either a racist or is extremely ignorant. Malcolm X wore his heart on his sleeve and whether right or wrong he was never afraid to say what was on his mind to anyone who cared to listen. I personally believe Malcolm X’s beliefs give me strength to do what's right and carry myself with dignity. I remember, as a kid, my parents had tons of books about Black History books. The first book I read was a Malcolm X biography. I realized Malcolm X was truly a powerful, significant, and essential work for all time.
Malcolm set everything in motion when he converted to the Nation of Islam, an African American movement that combined elements of Islam with Black Nationalism. While in prison, his siblings persuaded him to write to the Nation’s leader, Elijah Muhammad. X was uneasy at first, but came around shortly. Malcolm wrote Muhammad a one-page letter each day in curiosity about the Nation of Islam. Muhammad replied as the “Messenger of Allah” welcoming Malcolm into the “true knowledge” (Haley 195). Before X’s release in nineteen fifty-two, he went under an intense self-educated program by reading books in the prison library, and even memorizing an entire dictionary. He also sharpened his forensic skills by participating in debate classes. When Malcolm was released from prison he had his first official visit with Muhammad in Chicago, he devoted his life to the Muslim ministry. Soon Malcolm began traveling and preaching with other ministers. He picked up their techniques and devoured their knowledge. Malcolm quickly rose in the Nation of Islam ranks becoming minister of Temple number eleven in Boston and Muhammad’s most effective recruiter and spokesman. Soon after, X was rewarded minister of Temple number seven in Harlem, New York, the largest and most prestigious after the Chicago Headquarters and eventually named the National Representative of the Nation of Islam, second in rank behind Muhammad himself. Under X’s lieutenancy the nation claimed a membership of five-hundred thousand, as the numbers grew X’s teachings began to change; he wanted to make a vast difference. He spread the glorious history of African Americans. He urged the Nation to become more active in the civil rights protest instead of being a critic on the side. X articulated the Nation’s racial doctrines of evil
When Malcolm x was known as Malcolm Little which was from his birth until during his time in prison went he converted to the Nation of Islam ( Malcolm X 154-172) he experienced traumatic events that laid the foundation in terms of how he came to view white people u...
In 1941, he went to live with his half sister, Ella Collins, in Boston, Massachusetts. While in Boston he worked a variety of railroad jobs but he also became increasingly involved in selling drugs and running numbers. Malcolm X was arrested in 1946 for larceny as well as breaking and entering; he was sent to prison in February 1946. While incarcerated, Malcolm X became a follower of Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Temple of Islam. After X’s parole in 1952, he became Minister Malcolm X, using X in place of the African name that was taken from his slave ancestors.
The history of the United States has in it much separation or segregation due to race. For a long time our country has seen racism as a large problem and this has caused ethnic groups to be looked down upon and forced into a lifestyle of difficulties and suppression. Due to this, races, particularly African-Americans, have been forced to deal with unequal opportunity and poverty, leading to less honorable ways of getting by and also organizations that support change. Malcolm X is one strong example of an African American man who became apart of a group acted against it, uniting people to promote the advancement of colored people and change. Malcolm's thoughts towards race and civil right in the previous years were displayed in a less way to the people and "by any means necessary" perspective. After his pilgrimage in 1964 his view of civil rights had quickly changed into a more complete view of civil rights, and the peoples views towards him. No one really knows what kind of impact Malcolm X would have had on history if he had not been assassinated. His beliefs and philosophy did gain him a place in history as one of the best-known Black Nationalist Leaders. Everyone seems to have known who Malcolm X was, and he ranks high with all other Black leaders. His ideas were radical and he was very out spoken. He was a major force in the development of black history. He fought not only for his people but also for all oppressed people everywhere. He was well spoken and he laid the groundwork for the black power movement of the late l960's.
Later in 1937, Malcolm’s mother Louise, who never got over her husband’s death, was admitted into a mental institution. Malcolm and his other siblings were split up into various foster homes (Malcolm X bio, 2013). Youth Malcolm graduated junior high at the top of his class, with aspirations of being a lawyer, until a teacher told him that being a lawyer was “no realistic goal for a nigger,” suggesting that he be something practical, like a carpenter (J. Simon, 26).... ... middle of paper ...
While Malcolm X lived in New York City, he began to gamble and use narcotic drugs on his free time (Dictionary of American Biography). He then spent ten years of his life incarcerated and spent his time catching up on the education that he missed by dropping out of high school at an early age ("Malcolm X Biography"). During this time, Malcolm X was also visited by several of his siblings that ended up influencing him into becoming a strong follower of Elijah Muhammad, who was the leader of the Nation of Islam, a cult in which his siblings were a part of. After Malcolm X was released from prison in 1952, he began to work for the Nation of Islam and gained a lifelong interest in the influential standpoint of the cult (Epps). Malcolm X was then credited for taking a step forward in the national movement for equality when he founded several mosques throughout the United States. By 1963, he had already expanded the membership to around 30,000 followers (Epps). Unlike Mandela, Malcolm X was thankful for his time and prison and admitted to it having “saved his life” (Diamond 37). His role in the movement for equality had gained lots of controversy, thus making him believe that imprisonment made himself stay safe. At this standpoint, it is evident that Nelson Mandela and Malcolm X had different experiences during their imprisonments.
Born on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska, Malcolm X was a prominent black nationalist leader who served as a spokesman for the Nation of Islam during the 1950s and '60s. After quitting school at the age of 15, Malcolm moved to Boston to live with his half-sister Ella. Ella landed Malcolm a job shining shoes at the Roseland Ballroom. However, he became familiar with the city 's criminal underground selling drugs. He got another job as
However, it all crashed down when his English teacher suggested that he should be a carpenter instead of a lawyer which was Malcolm’s interest. This made Malcolm believe that there was no reason for a black child to obtain an education; therefore he dropped out of school at 15. He was then introduced to the lifestyle of selling drugs and committing crimes. It came to an end in 1946, when he was arrested for burglary and sentenced to 10 years in prison. In this time, it was when Malcolm started excessively reading and furthering his education, it was a time for self-enlightenment. His brother Reginald, who belonged to the Nation of Islam, would come visit him and tell Malcolm about his conversion to the Muslim religion. This will later on impact a big part of Malcolm’s
According to Stephanie L. McKinney, “Malcolm was transferred to the Norfolk, Massachusetts, Prison Colony. It was while Malcolm was in Norfolk that his brother, Reginald, introduced him to the Nation of Islam.” This piece of historical information show that Malcolm had got jailed yet he was confident to show that he is capable of staying strong and he still was confident in himself and joined the NOI which was a discriminated islamic society. Stephanie L. McKinney had also stated that, “After leaving the NOI in 1964, Malcolm decided to found his own religious organization, Muslim Mosque, Inc. (MMI), which catered to former NOI members.” This piece also shows self confidence because after being forced to leave his previous societ he wanted to influence his leaders to be self confident and dependant so he rebelled and made his own society for his true love, the religion of