| While the
family was in Lansing, Michigan their home was burned
down. Two years later Malcolm’s father was murdered.
Malcolm’s mother had an emotional breakdown, and was
unable to care for Malcolm and his siblings. The children
were split up and sent to foster homes.
By the time that Malcolm
was a teenager, he had dropped out of high school. At
first he worked odd jobs in Boston, Massachusetts, but he
soon moved to Harlem, New York where he became involved in
criminal activity. Malcolm moved back to Boston, where he
was later convicted of burglary in 1946.
While Malcolm was in
prison, he converted to the Muslim religious sect, the
Nation of Islam. When he was released in 1952, he changed
his last name to X because he considered the name “Little”
to have been a slave name. The Nation of Islam’s leader,
Elijah Muhammad, made Malcolm a minister and sent him
around the country on speaking engagements. Malcolm spoke
about black pride and separatism, and rejected the civil
rights movement call for integration and equality.
Malcolm was a charismatic
speaker, and soon was able to use newspaper columns,
television, and radio to spread the Nation of Islam’s
message. Membership to the Nation of Islam increased
dramatically as a result of Malcolm's speeches. However,
while many blacks were embracing his message, civil rights
leaders rejected him. Malcolm also became a concern of the
government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation began
surveillance of him, and infiltrated the Nation of Islam.
While Malcolm had garnered
increasing attention, his relationship with Elijah
Muhammad became strained in 1963. Malcolm learned that
contrary to Muhammad’s teaching of celibacy until
marriage, Muhammad was having sexual relations with six
women. Malcolm felt that Muhammad was committing fraud and
refused to keep it a secret.
When President John F.
Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, Malcolm
publicly described it as “the chickens coming home to
roost.” Because of this comment Muhammad silenced him for
ninety days. In March of 1964, Malcolm left the Nation of
Islam and founded the Muslim Mosque, Inc. In April of
1964, he took a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It was
there that his view of separatism changed. He discovered
that white and black Muslims could coexist together.
When he returned to the
United States, he stopped advocating separatism, and
instead relayed the message of integration and world
brotherhood. However, upon his return he discovered that
the Nation of Islam wanted to assassinate him. On February
14, 1965 his home was firebombed, but no one was hurt. A
few days later on February 21, 1965, while Malcolm was on
stage at the Manhattan Audubon Ballroom, three gunmen shot
him to death. The gunmen were arrested and convicted. It
was later discovered that they were members of the Nation
of Islam. Malcolm was buried on February 27, 1965 in
Hartsdale, New York.
Since his death his
popularity has continued, and is partly due to the
publication of The Autobiography of Malcolm X and
Spike Lee’s 1992 movie, “Malcolm X.” |
