Malcolm X

May 19 1925 was the best day in the world, Malcolm X was born. Malcolm X was the bravest, most amazing man in the world. He fought against racism and segregation in the United States. He also made sure that people were not judged by religion either. He made sure no one was treated differently, and everyone was treated equally. His real name was actually Malcolm Little. The reason he changed it was because “Little” was his ancestors' slave owner’s name, so he changed his name to Malcolm X because the X stands for the loss of his real African name.

Malcolm X had encountered racism before he was born. When his mom was pregnant with him, a group of Ku Klux Klan, which are a group of racist people, came to his door with rifles and shotguns, calling for his dad to come out. His mom’s name was Louise Norton Little, and his dad’s name was Earl Little. Like his son, Earl Little also fought against racism. He was an outspoken baptist minister. Malcolm had ten siblings, Ella Collins, Mary Little, Wesley Little, Wilfred X, Earl Little Jr., Hilda Florice Little, Philbert X, Yvonne Little Woodward, Reginald Little, and Robert Little.

Malcolm X was forced to move a couple of times in his early childhood. He moved once to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and then again to Lansing, Michigan. The only reason he moved was to stay safe, but it did not work. His home was burnt down to the ground while in Michigan, and his dad was also found lying dead on the trolly tracks. When his family told the police, they claimed that both incidents were accidents. When Norton Little found out that her husband was dead, she had a mental breakdown. She had to go to a mental institution, so all of her children were split up.

Malcolm X originally wanted to be a lawyer until his favorite teacher crushed his dreams by basically telling him he could not do it because he was black. So, he dropped out of school at the age of 15, moved to Boston with his sister, and got involved in illegal things. When Malcolm X was 20, he and his friend Malcolm ¨shorty¨ Jarvis got arrested for burglary charges. They were supposed to be sentenced for ten years, but were released after seven. Malcolm eventually became a member of the Nation Of Islam (NOI), a group who thought white people were bad, and black people were good. He left the NOI and joined traditional Islam after making Hajj, changing his name to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. On February 21, 1965, he was getting ready for his speech in New York City when he was shot 15 times by 3 members of the NOI. Over 1500 people attended Malcolm X´s funeral.

Malcolm X was an inspirational figure and was very brave. I chose him because Islam is my religion, and my religion teaches that everyone should be treated equally. Malcolm X realized that after going to Hajj and seeing people from all different races making the traditional muslim pilgrimage together. This made him realize even more how Islam taught equality and why the NOI was wrong by teaching inequality between blacks and whites. He helped end segregation and racism throughout the United States. Although Malcolm X started off as a burglar, he became a well known influential civil rights leader in history.