Malcolm X and the Black Power Movement

MALCOM X AND THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT

Malcolm Little, also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, was born on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska. His father was a Baptist preacher who also worked with Marcus Garvey’s UNIA movement. Which is where Malcolm first became enthralled with civil rights works. When Malcolm was around six years old, his father was killed from an alleged Klu Klux Klan incident. This murder, later caused his mother to have a mental breakdown and ultimately be placed in a mental facility.

While this was going on, he moved in with his half-sister Ella in Boston. Eventually landing him in Harlem, New York. Living in Harlem, Little became involved with drug dealing, gambling, racketeering, robbery, and pimping. While Malcolm was trying to get one of the jewelry items he had stolen appraised, the jeweler had been warned of the piece and called the police. He was then charged with larceny and breaking and entering with a sentence of eight to ten years of prison. While in prison he became associated with the black Muslims.

Years later after being released from prison, Malcolm began to be heavily involved with the Nation of Islam. Changing his last name to X, he quickly rose through the ranks to become one of the Nations’ premier speakers. Malcolm’s quick, intelligent, and sometimes alarming responses on the black white issue in America, made him a well sought after speaker. He taught that black people were the original people of the world and that white people were a race of devils. Often criticizing members of the civil rights movement for being to “soft” on the white people.

Voicing his opinion a little bit too much, Malcolm made a comment on the assassination of President...