The autobiography of Malcolm X provides insight into the life of a man who rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most influential civil rights activists in the United States. In his autobiography, it is apparent that Malcolm undergoes three keys states: the first stage reflects his early life, troubled youth, and struggle for identity; the second stage reflects his struggle to find God; and the third stage is his political work. In the course of the three life stages, Malcolm X held different convictions ranging from racial separatism to indifference in the later stages of his life. To show his gradual transformation from a strong supporter of racial separation to the indifferent person he was in the period leading to his death, Malcolm had changed his name thrice. He was born Malcolm Little but changed his last name to become Malcolm X after joining the Nation of Islam, and latter adopted the ceremonial Islam name of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz following his visit to Mecca and his subsequent transformation of his beliefs regarding racism and human behaviors (349).
During his early life as Malcolm Little, he did not seem to have a problem with the racial differences until his English teacher at junior high school told him that it was not advisable for him to be a lawyer because he is a “nigger”. In this regard, it is obvious that he became aware at an early age that the Whites did not consider the blacks as their equal. Even though he seemed perturbed by the racial differences, it is also apparent that he accepts racism within America to be a rule rather than the exception, as is evidenced by his break up with the African American woman, Laura in order to be involved with a white woman, Sophia (138). Given his seeming acceptance of the race realities during the period prior to being imprisoned, Malcolm’s reaction to the idea of a Black president would be indifferent, given that he was already aware that the oppression against the black community was being perpetuated by every white, and not necessarily because the president was white. It is obvious that his ideas that each race would only achieve peace and harmony by living separately were nurtured by his early realization that the legacy of slavery left an indelible mark of perpetual discrimination of the backs by the whites within the American society.
However, it is important to note that the radical shift in the convictions of Malcolm with regard to race and his identity became more prominent after switching his allegiance to the Nation of Islam (renowned as “Black Muslims”) (191). The enlisting of Malcolm X as a member of the Black Muslims movement marked the beginning of a different conviction regarding race. Elijah Muhammad founded the religion of Black Muslims in the 1930s. This religion advocated for the separation of races by creating the perception that the white man was the devil incarnate and Malcolm readily accepted those views as the truth. These teachings aroused significant interest in Malcolm as he began to pay more attention to the history of the black people. In the cause of studying the history of the blacks, he found convincing evidence to support the assertion that the white mass is possessed with evil. His discovery regarding the evil nature of the Whites made him join the Nation of Islam religious group and change his last name from Little to X, after becoming aware of the importance of racial identity and subjugation at a personal as well as political level. Accordingly, his convictions regarding the evil nature of the whites coupled with his sentiments that President Kennedy’s assassination was a case of “chickens coming home to roost” shows how much he hated the white community and the extent to which he hated being led by the whites. At this point in his life, it is apparent that Malcolm would have jubilated at the idea of an Africa American leading the nation and possibly using force to protect the African Americans and make the whites pay for the evils they have committed against the black race in the past.
Notably, after his suspension from the Nation of Islam and his subsequent pilgrimage to Mecca, Malcolm adopted the name El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz in line with his newly found convictions that made him realize that being White did not necessarily mean that a person is evil. Based on his new beliefs, Malcolm began to soften his stance regarding the hatred he had developed during his period as staunch member and minister of the Nation of Islam. His realization that the whiteness he had developed so much hate for was not really about the color of the skin but a matter of mind-set and behavior was his turning point regarding his generalization of the character of Whites in American and elsewhere. However, despite this realization he noted that for many African Americans, being white insinuated certain behavioral patterns and attitudes regarding race. However, it is apparent that after visiting Mecca, Malcolm changed his view that the American society could only racial conflicts through racial separation and began to nurture a new form of belief based on oneness of all human beings through brotherly cooperation and coexistence regardless of their racial background. It is apparent that the way Malcolm understands self and race, changes in accordance with the three key phases of his life and the fact that Malcolm had changed his views regarding racial hatred towards tolerance is important in signifying how he would feel about a black president. In the end, his reaction to the election of an African American president would be indifferent because his views would be motivated solely by the ability to perform rather than skin color. In the same breadth, he would be ecstatic knowing that such an election is a huge step towards achieving his views that all races can exist together by embracing the concept of brotherhood.
Work Cited
X, Malcolm. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Ballantine Books, 1999.
