Malcolm Hendrix Essay, Research Paper

Throughout history there have been many people who have stood out and made an

impact in the way we think and comprehend things. During the late 1950’s and

early 1960’s, Malcolm X was no exception. His militant views that Western

nations were inherently racist and that black people must join together to build

their own society and value system had an important influence on black

nationalist and black separatist movements of the 1950s and 1960s. At the

beginning of the movie, Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little. He was a young child

trying to adapt to society’s changes. He was looking so hard that he fell into

the wrong crowd. Malcolm bumped into a man named Archie who was a big time

thief. Archie ran a numbers system in the streets and he convinced Malcolm to

join him. Malcolm became a scoundrel with an evil demeanor. Malcolm’s business

partner, was a white woman by the name of Sophia. They were on drugs and even

robbed a house. Because of their antics, the law was on their trail. They

eventually caught and sent to prison. Malcolm was sentenced to 8 years in prison

while Sophia was only sentenced to 2 years because she was white. This relates

to the social organization of arrest, which suggest that police arrest blacks at

a higher rate than whites. While Malcolm was in jail, he was well known to the

guards. One time he was asked to state his number, but instead he said he forgot

his number. The guards beat the hell out of him and sent him to the darkroom. In

the darkroom he met Brother Baines. Baines was a man everyone respected

including the guards. He was know as the real man and gave speeches about Islam.

Malcolm didn’t want to listen to him at first, but Baines’s cool style helped

Malcolm realize that Islam is for him and that the white man is the devil. While

in prison, Malcolm read widely and developed an interest in the Nation of Islam,

a Black Nationalist religious movement whose members were known as Black

Muslims. Malcolm studied the teachings of the leader of the Black Muslims,

Elijah Muhammad, who advocated an independent black state. The Nation of Islam

was based on a theology adapted from several models: traditional Islamic

teachings principles of Black Nationalism, and economic self-help programs that

addressed the needs of African Americans living in urban ghettoes. Unlike

traditional Islam, which rejects all forms of racism, the Nation of Islam

declared that whites were the "devil by nature," and that God was

black. However, the Black Muslims predicted that in the near future a Great War

would take place in which whites would be destroyed and black people would rule

the world through the benevolence of Allah, their creator. To prepare for this

new order, the Nation of Islam stressed personal self-restraint, opposed the use

of drugs and alcohol, and organized economic self-help enterprises that

eventually included farms, food stores, restaurants, and small businesses. The

Black Muslims recruited heavily among the poorest of urban blacks and in

prisons, where Malcolm Little was converted to the faith. Instead of wasting his

time in prison and getting into more trouble, Malcolm decided to change his

lifestyle and devise a plan to better himself. He goes through a gleaning stage.

He began to read and expand his mind. As he did this, a world of knowledge

opened up to him. He also tried to improve himself in other ways. He worked on

his social skills and his physical appearance. He decides not to associate

himself with former friends he got in trouble with and forms new relationships

with people who want to make a change. One of the converted men, Brother Johnson

was in an altercation with the police. The police said he was not quick enough

to get out of the way so they beat him almost to death because of his race. This

is another example of racial conflict. Malcolm was furious. He rushed to the

police station to see Johnson, but the police denied Malcolm permission to see

Johnson. Malcolm said that he would see Johnson and that he wasn’t leaving until

he did. After a long struggle he got wish. While Malcolm was inside, his

brothers were lined up outside the station like an army. Many of the police said

that Malcolm had too much power. The police tried to use that as propaganda

against Malcolm. They were trying to convince the members of Islam that Malcolm

was too powerful and more important than Muhammad. This is a type of organized

crime used by the police. Malcolm X left a very complicated legacy and affected

many blacks and whites. His personal journey from petty criminal to spiritual

leader was unique. He was admired for how he transformed himself intellectually

from a preacher of racial hatred to an advocate of interracial and international

brotherhood. Malcolm X significantly elevated black consciousness in the United

States. He asserted in the most forceful terms that "black is

beautiful," and that African Americans must take control of their own

destiny. Always charismatic and witty, his words and speeches provided quotes

for people with many different social and political goals. His most enduring

message remains one of black self-respect and self-help, combined with his

uncompromising rejection of racism.

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