Malcolm X Essay, Research Paper

All men are created equal. This statement was the basis of the civil

right movements of the 1960’s. Malcom X is a man that promoted a society in

which all human beings were equally respected. He believes that blacks should

achieve that goal by any means necessary. In a time when blacks were not allowed

to sit in the front of the bus, using the same bathroom, or were not admitted to

Universities. Malcom X’s cry of justice was believed to be the voice of all

blacks behind closed doors. Malcom Little grew up as poor and did not have much

parental support. His father was run over by a street car when he was six. Soon

after his father’s death, his mother was put in a mental hospital. He grew up in

East Lansing and Boston. He was a pimp, a hustler, drug user, and a drug dealer.

He worked in the Harlem underworld and was almost killed by his boss after he

betrayed him. Malcom turned to robbery and was caught by the police and

sentenced to 10 years of hard labor. While in jail, he was introduced to the

Nation of Islam, a Black Muslim group, and changed his name to Malcom X. The X

replaced the slave name that was given by the white masters and stands for the

his real name that he never knew. After his release from prison he started

preaching for the Nation of Islam (NOI). His preaching was known for its hatred

overtone. He describes America as a house with a "bomb" inside and it

is about to explode. Unless the white people want the house to explode and kill

everyone inside, they should take the bomb out and give it a house of their own.

His speeches were very popular among angry blacks and he was frequently on the

front page of the newspaper. It was rumored that other Nation of Islam members

were jealous about his popularity and worried about the power he was gaining.

After the JFK assassination, Malcom stated: "President Kennedy never

foresaw that the chickens would come home to roost so soon… Being an old farm

boy myself, chickens coming home to roost never did make me sad; they always

made me glad." After many death calls from irritated Whites, The Nation of

Islam started to distance themselves from Malcom. There was already friction

between The Nation of Islam and they did not want the Nation of Islam to get a

bad name because of Malcom. Feeling pressure to leave and felt betrayed by his

church, he started the Organization of Afro-American Unity. They had the

commitment to "doing whatever is necessary to bring the Negro struggle from

the level of civil rights to the level of human rights." While making a

speech in the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem on Feb 21, 1965 he was assassinated by

3 persons all belonging to the NOI. Whether you like him or not, Malcom X was

charismatic leader that said the many things that had to be said in the midst of

the civil rights movement. "By any means necessary! I’m for freedom. I’m

for a society in which our people are recognized and respected as human beings,

and I believe that we have the right to resort to any means necessary to bring

that about." -Malcom X, interview with Claude Lewis (December 1964) This

statement and others helped propel the recognition of prejudice in the heart of

America. Whenever I research into a past leader I always feel a great sadness

that a great mind has perished with the person. But in this one case, there is a

small sense of relief. Violence bleeds violence. 3 men whom he has preached

gunned down a man that has preached violence to advance his cause. They stood

over his body and emptied their guns. I hope all people can learn from this and

move forward together as a nation in peace.