Malcolm X was a widely known Civil Rights activist who was assassinated in 1965. He was a morally conflicted man who is criticised heavily to this day by academics for his misogynistic commentary, anti-integration beliefs and crude statements about sensitive topics. Despite this, he was widely regarded as a leader of the Civil Rights Movement, and a hero in the eyes of many members of the movement. After his sudden and tragic death, his autobiography was released, and cemented his legacy as a hero of the American movement towards civil rights for African Americans.
There are certain qualities that contribute to a person’s heroism, and others that are found in effective (or ineffective) leaders. Stereotypically, a hero displays leadership
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Whilst from the genesis of his political career the activist has made unmistakeable his ambitions for equal rights, his racial tolerance initially lacked the intersectionality necessary to bring about productive, purposeful and permanent equality. This was due to his involvement with the Nation of Islam (Robinson, 1990, Tatchell, 2009). In his final years his transition to mainstream Islam aligned with his political gravitation towards the left (Tatchell, 2009) Malcolm is on record for having said “Whatever else a woman is, I don’t care who the woman is, it starts with her being vain” (Haley, 1964). However, he appeared to have revised his view of black women, telling a group of women in December 1964 that they were ‘the real educators… the setters of fires that would burn until our people set themselves free’ (Robinson,1990). In the final years of his life many feminists of colour believed that after his distancing from the Nation of Islam, he began to listen to black women and treat them as intellectual equals (Robinson, 1990), and had he not been killed, he would have more publicly put his support behind black women and retracted previous sexist comments (Davis, 1994). But he never had the chance, and therefore his leadership is still flawed with a lack of acceptance of all African Americans and an acknowledgement of their different
Malcolm X was one of the most prominent civi right activists at the time. He preached Black Nationalism, where blacks separates themselves from the whites completely. He is often known as the intellectual, charismatic hero. Although, he was not always that faithful. He was a thug. A hustler. He committed crimes. How did a hoodlum, became a historical figure of Malcolm X? There was many events in his life that changed him, and shaped him to be that somebody. If we trace back his footsteps, his life as Malcolm Little, his life as a thug, his life as a inmate, and his life as a national minister of Nation of Islam, all contributed in creating him and his name of Malcolm X.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told by Alex Haley is the story about a man who greatly impacted American history. Malcolm Little, or Malcolm X as he is more widely known, taught what he believed in regards to segregation, racism, and discrimination. Growing up in a large family with a father Earl Little, a Baptist minister, and his mother Louis Little who was a homemaker, Malcolm’s life at the time seemed very promising. His father’s involvement in support of the Black National gained him many death threats at the hands of white supremacists. In 1929, they lost their house to a fire, and two years later the body of Malcolm’s father was found mutilated. This lead to the emotional breakdown of Malcolm’s mother and in turn she was institutionalized. Malcolm and his siblings were separated and placed in foster homes, and from then, his life began a path of drugs, sex, and crime. It was not until he was imprisoned in 1946, that he decided to make some changes for the better. This essay will assess and discuss those changes whether negative or positive, on a micro, mezzo, and macro level. It will also cover some of the effects of racial prejudice on human behavior, and how society today keeps the ideology of Malcolm X alive.
Malcolm X was also a very great leader during the Civil Rights era. His Islamic religion helped influence how he led those who followed his teachings. He was motivated by anger that was created from white men in the past. When he was younger, his mother was threatened to move out of town because his father’s sermons were starting to cause an up roar in the community between blacks and whites. The leadership Malcolm X brought to the community was rejuvenated energy that gave young black men and women the hope to rise above the
After Malcolm separated from the Nation of Islam, part by choice but part by force, he had to turn elsewhere for the acceptance and purpose, which all African American males needed at this time. With his national prominence he formed a new organization. This organization would be the last place he found acceptance because of his untimely death. His organization, the Muslim Mosque Inc., he
Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X had a common purpose for African Americans; justice and equality. Illustrated through their speeches, Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” and Malcolm X’s “Talk to Young African Americans”, the two did not share techniques or ideas. Yet both men had the support of millions and millions of people.
Instead of going to school to get a traditional education, he dropped out of school at fifteen and learned the ways of the streets. Malcolm associated himself with thugs, thieves, dope dealers, and pimps. He was convicted of burglary at age twenty and remained in prison until he was twenty-seven. During his prison sentence, he became a changed man. He educated himself and he learned about and joined the Nation of Islam, studying the teachings of Elijah Muhammed. Elijah taught Malcolm how history had been “whitened by the white man” (p.184) and he echoed “the black convict’s lifelong experience” where “the white man is the devil,” (p. 186). This thought process encouraged many black inmates to discover the Nation of Islam.
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 X is an extremely critical figure that contributed in shaping American social life. He was a famous man who articulated the struggle, anger, and beliefs of African Americans. He was a radical man who fought for change despite the situation. His struggle for equality for the black nation landed him in prison. While in prison, Malcolm was able to study, and earned a college degree. However, most importantly while in prison, Malcolm X was introduced to the Islam faith by one of the prisoners. He received teachings from the Muslim faith, which made him realize that, his people were being oppressed and abused by the whites. While out of prison, he went to visit honorable Elijah Muhammad and later on went around preaching Elijah
Malcolm X was a civil rights activist. He wanted equality for all people and fought for it. Malcolm said that he “ identified whites as the enemy of blacks”( gale students resources 1).He believed this because blacks were treated harshly by whites and they were made into slaves. Malcolm felt so strong about black rights. He even changed his last name to x. He did it for the black heritage that was taken
Thesis Statement: Malcolm X was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against black Americans. Detractors accused him of preaching racism, black supremacy, anti-Semitism, and violence.
Malcolm X was an African American Muslim activist during the civil right movement. Malcolm X had a rough life growing up with the death of his father, his mother being unstable, and getting put in foster homes he had seen the struggles of being African American in America. After devoting his life to The Nation of Islam he became a minister in Harlem and he begin to gain followers because of his courage to fight against the system. His methods were different from Martin Luther
Malcolm X was a muslim, black man who cared very much about gaining equal rights. He was, in a way, an extremist. Though only taking action when he felt necessary, when he did take action, it often had drastic effects on the people and events occurring around him. Unlike Martin Luther King or other leading civil rights activists, he did not believe in peaceful protest. He believed in “whatever means necessary” to accomplish his goals. Because of his strong efforts and his unmatched determination, Malcolm X, formally known as Malcolm Little, changed the course of the civil rights movement. If not for him, the events that played out to cause the eventual conclusion of the struggle would have been forever altered.
The 1950's and 1960's were a time of racial turmoil throughout most of the United States. Segregation between blacks and whites was still in full effect, African Americans had to drink from different water fountains, eat at different restaurants, and even shop at different stores than their Anglo "neighbors". Many people and organizations fought valiantly for equality in the U.S. such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King jr. and the NAACP. The roles they played were critical in the civil rights movement were critical, the actions they took included peaceful demonstrations and marches, public speeches, and boycotts such as the one that took place in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. One man stands out among all of these leaders though, Malcolm X.
The history of the world has had its encounters with separation and segregation when it comes to race. For a long time the world has seen racism as a large problem and this has caused ethnic groups to be looked down upon or forced into a lifestyle of difficulties and suppression. Due to this situation, races, in particularly African Americans, have been forced to deal with unequal opportunity and poverty, leading to less honorable ways of getting by and also organizations and support change. Malcolm X is an example of an African American man who fell into this type of hate and acted against it. Malcolm X united people to promote the advancement of African Americans and change when it comes to his own race.
Essentially, the group believes in the racial superiority of blacks, a notion supported by a complex genesis fable, which includes an envious and evil white scientist who put a curse on blacks. The faith became a focus for Malcolm’s fury about his family’s treatment at the hands of whites (specifically the Ku Klux Klan), the lack of opportunities he had as a young black man, and the psychological damage of systematic racism (Ferran, 1992). There, in prison, he converted to the Nation of Islam (McGill, 2011). This group is commonly considered to be an extremist radical group of African Americans. In order to educate himself, Malcolm spent extensive time reading books within the prison library and even, memorizing a dictionary. Additionally, he sharpened his legal skills by participating in debate classes. Following tradition, he replaced his last name with an “X,” a custom among Nation of Islam followers who considered their familial names to have originated with white slaveholders (Mamaiya, 1).