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Malcolm X was born as Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska on May 19, 1925. He is also known by the name El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. He was born during the time when the black people in the United States of America were treated as a substandard ethnic group. They did not enjoy the same rights as whites and this treatment as second-class citizens made them face every kind of obstacle in the American society. The conditions were particularly bad in the southern part of the country where the African Americans had to experience extreme discrimination. However, this situation was not acknowledged by Malcolm X. He spent his whole life to try to improve the lives of the black people as a militant leader. It would not be incorrect to state that he was a brave, enigmatic and persuasive spokesperson for the dogma of black autonomy and independence.
Malcolm was born as the eighth child of his parents. Malcolm’s father, Earl Little, was a blunt Baptist minister who openly supported Marcus Garvey, a black autonomist leader. Malcolm’s mother, Louise Norton Little, was a simple housewife. It is important to note here that Earl’s outspoken nature for black civil rights compelled the family to change their accommodation twice before the fourth birthday of Malcolm. This was because the family received death threats from Black Legion, an organization that worked for white supremacy. In spite of Little's pains to get away from the mentioned organization, the family’s home in Michigan was burnt down in 1929. Later in 1931, Earl was murdered. Unfortunately, both the stated incidents were rules as accidents by the police without proper investigation. Her husband’s death left Louise alone who consequently went through emotional breakdown and was admitted to a mental asylum after several years. As a result, Malcolm and his siblings had to spend their childhood years in a number of orphanages or foster homes ("Biography").
As the time went by, Malcolm moved back to Boston along with his friend, Malcolm "Shorty" Jarvis. The police arrested and put them behind bars in 1946 condemning them guilty as burglars. Malcolm was granted a sentence of ten years. However, he only served there for seven years after which he was granted a parole. Summoning up his school days, Malcolm used the time to acquire more education. This self-enlightenment period was brightened by his brother, Reginald’s visits who had recently accepted Islam as his new faith. Reginald was a member of the Nation of Islam (NOI) which was a renowned religious organization of that time ("Biography").
Malcolm started to take interest in the religion and studied the teachings and preaching of Elijah Muhammad, the leader of NOI. The teachings of Muhammad highlighted the conspiracies and discriminatory attitude of the white society that was working to subjugate African-Americans in every walk of life be it related to politics, economics, societal. One of the major goals of the NOI was to fight for an independent black state where they could live peacefully and autonomously without the white domination. Eventually, by the time Malcolm was released, he had become a devout follower. He changed his surname to X as he thought that "Little" signified a slave name. Therefore, he started to call himself Malcolm X to characterize missing ethnic name ("Biography").
The public multitude and hullabaloo that surrounded Malcolm made him an attraction to media. In 1959, he was featured along with Mike Wallace in a TV program called the Hate That Hate Produced. In this weeklong special, the NOI fundamentals were explored in detail and Malcolm’s surfacing as one of NOI’s major leaders was tracked. However, Malcolm had to face the painful truth that the program had given him more fame than Elijah Muhammad who was Malcolm’s mentor ("Biography").
The story did not end there. The government also noticed the vibrant personality of Malcolm after the broadcasting of the mentioned television special. With the continuous increase in NOI membership, FBI agents gained access to the NOI and placed listening devices, wiretaps, hidden cameras, and further shadowing tools in secret for monitoring the activities of the organization. One FBI agent even got the opportunity to become Malcolm’s bodyguard ("Biography").
In 1963 when the civil rights movement was at its peak, Malcolm was shocked after knowing that Elijah Muhammad had secret relationships with about 6 women within the NOI. It was a faith-shattering reality to know that the adulterous relations had even ended up in the birth of children. This reality about his mentor astounded Malcolm as he had followed the Prophet Muhammad’s teachings strictly since he had become a NOI member. When Elijah requested Malcolm to not reveal his affairs and the illegitimate children, he simply refused the request as he was greatly impacted by the actions of his mentor. This deep shock was because of the fact that he considered Elijah as a very noble man. Malcolm also considered himself blameworthy as he had brought so many people to NOI which turned out as a falsified organization ("Malcolm X").
Soon after this disgusting finding, Malcolm made a comment about President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and his remarks received extensive condemnation. After his statement that "[Kennedy] never foresaw that the chickens would come home to roost so soon" (as qtd. in Healey), Malcolm was asked by Elijah Muhammad to be “silent” for ninety days. On the other hand, Malcolm suspected that the silence order was given for some other reason. As a consequence of such happenings, Malcolm ended his association with the NOI in March 1964. Malcolm could not forget the NOI sham and Elijah’s dishonesty. Therefore, he decided to establish the Muslim Mosque, Inc. as his own religious group ("Malcolm X").
Malcolm also performed a pilgrimage to Mecca in the same year. This experience altered his life forever as he was able to interconnect with people belonging to various cultures who gave him a positive response after knowing his beliefs and opinions. After his return to the United States, Malcolm continued his mission with a fresh point of view on cultural amalgamation, hoping for a better future for the colored people and whites simultaneously. It is extremely important to mention here that his Meccan visit transformed Malcolm’s speech style as this time, he preached to everyone and not only to African-Americans ("Biography").
Malcolm was assassinated on February 21, 1965 by Talmadge Hayer, Norman 3X Butler, and Thomas 15X Johnson who shot him fifteen times when he was speaking at the Manhattan's Audubon Ballroom. He was only thirty-nine at the time of his death. It is extremely important to mention here that the murderers were members of NOI and were convicted of 1st degree murder. Malcolm X is buried in New York at the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale ("Malcolm X").
Malcolm X is, without a doubt, one of the most mesmerizing and intriguing figures in the history of United States of America. It is true that his story is so interesting that it should be told to every person who needs to understand how an individual can revolutionize the conditions of an entire nation with only a message’s power and his passion and belief.
Works Cited
"Biography." The Official Malcolm X. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2014. <http://www.malcolmx.com/about/bio.html>.
Healey, C. "'Chickens Come Home to Roost’: Black Reactions to JFK’s Death in 1963." theGrio. N.p., 22 Nov. 2013. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. <http://thegrio.com/2013/11/22/chickens-come-home-to-roost-black-reactions-to-jfks-death-in-1963/#s:ellington-duke>.
"Malcolm X." American National Biography Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. <http://www.anb.org/articles/08/08-01846.html?from=../15/15-00382.html&from_nm=King%2C%20Martin%20Luther%2C%20Jr.>.
