Malcolm X

Malcolm X, as we know him, was born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 19, 1925. He lived with eight siblings and his parents. Earl Little, his father, was a Baptist minister and a big supporter of Marcus Garvey a Black Nationalist leader. His mother, Louise Norton Little, was a house wife who took care of things at home. At age 17 he moved to Harlem, New York and got involved in gambling, narcotics and prostitution rings. He ended up moving back to Boston and being locked up in prison for 10 years in for burglary charges with his friend Malcolm “ Shorty “ Jarvis. He ended up serving only 7 years because he got paroled, and while in prison the transformation from Malcolm Little to Malcolm X happened.

The Little family was very poor because of being black and nobody really wanted them around because of their skin color and for what Malcolm’s father believed in. Groups like the KKK and the Black Legion threatened his family’s life by burning their house down to the ground. In 1931 Earl Little was found dead. The police said it was an accident but many people did not believe that. Eventually Malcolm’s mother went through an emotional breakdown and ended up in a mental facility. Even with all of that going on, Malcolm became successful by becoming one of the top leaders in the Nation of Islam and one of their main people in the media by going around preaching the message of Elijah Mohammad. He also ended up having his own family later on in his life and became one of the best activists to ever live.

Malcolm X overcame a lot of troubles and lies from his best friend and mentor Elijah Mohammad who was the leader of the Nation of Islam. Elijah called himself the last prophet of God. Malcolm started hearing about the wrong that Elijah Mohammad was doing in the Nation of Islam, such as sleeping with random women impregnating some of them, which is not what he was teaching to the rest of the nation. He was preaching for people to wait and get married before you sleep with anyone or have any kids. Malcolm let the the people know what was going on and he spoke his mind after he left the Nation of Islam in March 1964. Malcolm started his organization, The Muslim Mosque Inc., on March 12, 1964, a couple of days after he left the Nation of Islam. The Muslim Mosque Inc. was for people who believed in Malcolm and what he had to say. The organization was dismantled after his assassination in 1965.

Malcolm X is also a hero to me because he got away from the Nation of Islam to figure out the truth about the religion. He went to Mecca and did a pilgrimage to see that anybody, no matter what color they are, can be Muslim; that’s when he figured out the truth about Islam and what it really means to people. When he got back to the United States he informed everyone about what he saw and how everybody in the holy city of Mecca were considered equal, no matter what color they where, and that Islam is not just for African Americans but for everybody.

Those are the reasons Malcolm X is my hero in my eyes. He never gave up and he gave whatever he believed in 100%. He died for the truth on February 21, 1965 in Manhattan’s Audubon Ballroom giving a speech to his followers. He was assassinated by Tamadge Hayer, Norman 3X Butler, and Thomas 15X Johnson. Who in 1966 were convicted for first degree murder. They were all members of the Nation of Islam and they did the action because Malcolm got away from the nation and started speaking the real truth about Islam.

In the words of Malcolm X:

“BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY”