Malcolm X
Submitted By memegrasse17
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Pages: 2
Malcolm X Biography
Malcolm X was born on May 19, 1925, as Malcolm Little, in Omaha, Nebraska. His father, Earl Little, was Baptist minister and devoted supporter of Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. Earl's civil rights activism provoked death threats from the white supremacist organization, Black Legion. The family was forced to move twice before Malcolm even turned four years old. Malcolm excelled in school and ended up graduating from junior high number one in his class. Unfortunately the thoughtless words of a favorite teacher caused Malcolm to abandon his dream of becoming a lawyer and his life took a turn for the worst. He lost interest in school, dropped out, and started committing minor crimes until he was sentenced to ten years in jail. It was during those years that Malcolm began to study the teachings of NOI leader Elijah Muhammad. Muhammad believed white society labored to thwart African-Americans from empowering themselves and achieving political, economic and social success. He was paroled in 1952, and by then Malcolm had become a dedicated follower along with the new surname of "X“ because he considered "Little" as a slave name. Malcolm was appointed as a minister and national spokesman for the Nation of Islam. Malcolm utilized newspaper columns, the radio and television to spread the NOI's message across the United States. His charisma, determination and persuasion attracted an overwhelming amount of new members. Malcolm was recognized with increasing membership in the NOI from 500 in 1952 to 30,000 in 1963. Sadly, Malcolm's faith was suffered a hard blow at the peak of the civil rights movement. He became aware of his mentor and leader, Elijah Muhammad’s, secret affairs with six different women within the Nation of Islam organization. Malcolm refused Muhammad's plea to aid in covering up the affairs and subsequent children. He was extremely hurt by the
