Malcom X
With the current African American civil rights movement, police reform is starting to become a realistic outcome to all of the turmoil seen between law enforcement and people of color, especially black people. As protests and conversations continue, many tend to quote the late Malcolm X for the more forceful approach that this new wave of protesters are introducing.
Born Malcolm Little, he experienced a rough childhood. Malcolm was born on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. He was the fourth of eight children, and his parents were a homemaker and pastor. His father was also an active member of the local chapter of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and supported the Black nationalist leader Marcus Garvey.
Because of his father's activism, many white supremacist groups (like the KKK and the Black Legion) targeted Malcolm's family and harassed them. This harassment continued to build up until local Klan members broke all of the windows to Malcolm's house. This pushed his father to move them to Lansing, Michigan.
Unfortunately, the situation worsened. The racism that the Little family dealt with in Lansing was much worse than Omaha, to the point where a racist mob set their house on fire, and never got charged for it. Then, Malcolm's father was found dead across Lansing's municipal street tracks. The police ruled it an accident, and the family received no life insurance because of it.
6 years later, Malcolm's mother committed to a mental institution for almost 30 years because she couldn't get over the death of her spouse. Because of this, Malcolm and his siblings were separated and placed into foster homes.
Malcolm was kicked out of school a year later and sent to a juvenile detention home in Mason, Michigan. He then excelled in Mason High School, and was one of the only black students. However, due to one of his English teachers racially profiling him, he dropped out of school at 15.
From there, Malcolm went to live with his half-sister in Boston and made a living shining shoes. In a turn of events, Malcolm started selling drugs in order to make more money. He started to rise in the ranks, and just as he started to get rich, he was arrested for larceny and was sentenced to 10 years in jail.
In jail, several of his siblings who visited him advocated for a sect called the Nation of Islam. This sect was made up of a group of Black Muslims who embraced the idea of Black nationalism (where black people are empowered enough to resist assimilation and integration into white culture). Malcolm then changed his name to Malcolm X and joined them while in prison.
Once he was released, Malcolm went on to spread the message of the Nation of Islam with the leader Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm argued for a violent revolution, using the rhetoric that is well-known today. Such a stance helped grow the Nation of Islam to 100 times its size.
Malcolm X was known for speaking on the anger of African Americans, and how they can articulate it. He disagreed with performative activism from white people, and felt that in order for black people to truly get equality, they have to be willing to fight for it. In his views, no revolution is bloodless, and all that they gain from waiting for change is performative activism to quiet them.
His stance on the fight against racism proved to be a dramatic alternative to that of Dr. King Jr.'s. Because of this, Dr. King would publicly call him out, saying that, "I feel that Malcolm has done himself and our people a great disservice."
Then, Malcolm X realized that the Nation of Islam's leader, Elijah Muhammad, didn't follow many of the teachings of Islam. This pushed Malcolm to leave the Nation of Islam in 1964.
That same year, Malcolm took a pilgrimage to Mecca and traveled around North Africa and the Middle East. There, he was spiritually awakened about the effects of colonialism around the world, and came back to the US much more optimistic for a revolution.
Around 1965, there were multiple assassination attempts made to Malcolm X, and on February 21, 1965, one was successful. While giving a speech, Malcolm was shot by three gunmen 15 times in close range.
Malcolm X's teachings were seen as radical at the time, and didn't get much traction in the long run. But as the fight for police brutality to end continues, many people are understanding why some revolutions need to be a little bloody, because of Malcolm's teachings. Whether or not these violent acts are agreeable, Malcolm has left a long-lasting effect on multiple generations.
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