Malcolm X's Role In The Civil Rights Movement

797 Words2 Pages

Malcolm X was an African American men with big dreams. He was one of the most important Civil Rights leader, however his thought process was completely different from Martin Luther King JR. Malcolm’s childhood was rough and filled with violence. Born on May 19, 1925, in Lansing, Michigan. He had seven siblings and very poor condition. His father was killed due to him beliefs and Malcolm was separated from his siblings. He went into couple of foster and detention homes. Although he was a excellent student in an all white school, his skin color always stuck out to him and made him feel uneasy. He dropped out of school and moved to Boston, Massachusetts at the age of 15. After moving he ran numbers, sold drugs and was sentenced to eight years of prison for armed robbery. Malcolm encountered the teachings of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. When out of prison he was a changed man. Malcolm played a very important role in the Civil Rights movement, his philosophy was very different from Martin Luther King. Malcolm X believed in Integration, separate schools for blacks and whites, separate business formed by blacks, and self defense.

First issue is integration vs. segregation. Malcolm X was more appropriate on the issue of integration and separation. Malcolm believed in whites working with …show more content…

Many people boycotted business that did not treat the blacks well, however Malcolm has something else in mind. “ The economic philosophy of black nationalism puts the burden upon the black man of learning how to control his own economy” as said in “ The last years of malcolm X”. Malcolm believed that instead of wasting time boycotting white business, African Americans should form their own business. It's important for blacks to stand up and be a competition for the white business. African Americans should not be feeding money to stores that treat then so badly, instead use the money and start up your own

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