MALCOLM XBY: Tony Babayeju Ms. Moore

The Legacy• A large proponent in the civil

rights era of the 1960’s• Offered an alternative to King’s

peace first approach of attaining equality

• Used the white as a common enemy for his supporters

• Considered by many, a racist and extremist

• Helped spread the message of Elijah Muhammad, converting masses to the Nation of Islam

• One of the most influential men in history

Early Life• Born May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska as Malcolm, to Earl

& Louise Little, the 7th of 8 children• Parents were members of Garvey’s Universal Negro

Improvement Assoc. • As the lightest skinned out of all his siblings, his mother (also

light skinned) gave him the brunt of her anger, due to a feeling of illegitimacy, although he felt his father favored him

• Lead him to learn the value of verbal protest• His father was supposedly killed on some railroad tracks, and

his mother was sent to a mental institution soon after, by Malcolm’s early teens

Inadequacy• Attended school with mostly white kids

growing up in several different Midwest Cities

• He was called nigger so much he became immune to it

• Moved to many foster homes with white caretakers

• Although one of the best students in his Junior High, he dropped out after a teacher told him, his aspirations of becoming a lawyer were impossible due to his color

• Humiliated and defeated by the white world he was born into he moved to Boston with his older sister, where his life began to drastically change

The Streets• While in Boston Malcolm

drifted from job to job with no focus

• He soon found himself in Harlem, where he became involved in the street life

• This lead him to return to Boston, where he became involved of a string of organized burglaries

• This lifestyle eventually caught up with him on January 16th, 1946 when he was charged with larceny, break & entering, and sentenced to 8 to 10 years in prison

http://home.att.net/~dermatoglyphics/MalcolmX.jpg

Knowledge Is Key• While in prison, Malcolm was influenced by a inmate named “Bimbi”,

who persuaded him to educate himself• Little, became hungry for literature, going as far as memorizing each

word in the English Dictionary, creating a foundation for his future career as an orator

• While in jail, Malcolm’s brother Philbert began telling him about the word of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam

• The principles of the Nation, based on the malevolence of whites, coincided with many of Malcolm’s beliefs gained through past experiences

• Before long, Malcolm wrote a letter of his acceptance of the Nation to Elijah Muhammad, and received words of encouragement directly from him until his release from prison in August of 52’

A New Man

• Upon his release from prison, Malcolm met with Elijah Muhammad and began learning more about the Nation

• He changed his last name to X, and became a assistant minister for an Islam Temple located in Detroit

• With much success aiding the growth of these chapters, he soon began his own in Boston, as well as aiding the expansion of the Philadelphia, and Harlem branches

The Grand Stage

• In July 1952 The Nation Islam was introduced to a national audience in a segment entitled The Hate That Hate Produced

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4D5CsavwQg

• This documentary gave The Nation of Islam more publicity than it had ever received before

• Malcolm became known as the brains behind the operation

Backlash & Notoriety• After this documentary, Malcolm became a highly sought

after orator who was requested to speak at many white colleges & in other countries

• It also created much fear amongst weary viewers black and white, and placed him directly under the watching eye of J.B Stoner, KKK leader

• Elijah Muhammad disapproved of the documentary due to his negative portrayal, and Malcolm’s appraisal of sorts

• Another boost in publicity was the recruitment of Muhammad Ali, then Cassius Clay, in 62’

• They were hated and loved all at the same time

Conflicting Minds• Malcolm X was denounced by

many Civil Rights organizations for his extreme and hateful views

• He was the voice of those unwilling to wait for freedom, a direct opposition to Martin Luther King’s position

• Malcolm did not wish to live in peace as King did with whites, but instead hoped for complete segregation claiming equality an unreachable feat in America

• He openly disagreed with King, calling him a chump, and labeling his peaceful demonstrations all but pointless

Led Astray• Malcolm soon became estranged

with Elijah due to his extra marital affairs, and also claimed Muhammad had long prevented him from working with other activist

• He denounced himself from the Nation of Islam March 8th, 1964, still however claiming Muslim

• He founded the Muslim Mosque Inc., and an organization set on teaching blacks to value political knowledge

• On April 13th, 1964, X took the pilgrimage to Mecca, where he completed his Hajj, and got the chance to see a variety of races in the Muslim religion unified and worshiping together

• He revised his radical racial beliefs http://images.tribe.net/tribe/upload/photo/e77/f6f/e77f6f28-8064-4e40-8c58-85dedb6c93e0

Marked for Death• Upon returning to the US,

Malcolm was met with several private and public death threats on his life directly from the Nation of Islam

• Through media, many members insinuated that due to X’s actions, his life was in grave danger, and deservedly so

• FBI agents confirmed these threats on his life on several occasions

• Malcolm and his family were extremely paranoid, and constantly watching there backs

Marked for Death contd.

• His Harlem residence, was burnt to the ground with his family still in it, yet they all survived

• On February 21st, 1965, Malcolm X was shot with a sawed off shotgun at point blank range and 16 other times by two other shooters while giving a speech at his Organization of Afro-American Unity

• He was pronounced dead shortly after, survived by his wife Betty X, and their six daughters

In Conclusion

• Malcolm X, was a very passionate leader, who had the ability to persuade masses with his charisma, and rigid intellect. However, sharing characteristics with many of the other movements and leaders of the 1960’s, his efforts were focused yet somewhat misguided. At the end of his life, we were left wondering what could have been, and what never was.

Q&A

1. Malcolm X died believing that Caucasian people were the root of all evil.

True/False

2. What documentary gave Malcolm X his most publicity?A. To Kill A Black ManB. The Ballot of the BulletC. The Hate That Hate ProducedD. In the Name of Muhammad

Keywords

• Extremist• Elijah Muhammad• The Nation of Islam•Martyr•Hajj

Sources

• Malcolm: The Life of a Man Who Changed Black America – Bruce Perry

• Seventh Child: A Family Memoir of Malcolm X – Rodnell P. Collins

• Malcolm X: Inventing Radical Judgment – Robert E. Terrill

• Malcolm X Speaks – George Breitman• The Autobiography of Malcolm X – Alex Haley