MALCOLM X TODAY | BY: BROOKE WHITE
May 11, 2020
Malcolm X was not only a critical part of the civil rights movement but he also had an extensive criminal past. Even though he was a believer in violence and spent time in prison, he was still seen as a symbol of hope for select audiences. Malcolm X seemed to have a stereotypical childhood in Lansing, Michigan where he sought out an education and resided with his family.
He started finding comfort in crime and violence. Malcom’s dad was killed in a train accident as the police deemed it to be. There were many assumptions that members of the Black Legion were the ones responsible. His childhood became untraditional as his mother was institutionalized for mental health reasons and the children scattered into foster care. He was an incredibly intelligent individual until in high school he had a teacher tell him that he could not amount to being a lawyer, which was a lifelong dream of his. After this paralyzing thought entered his head, he dropped out of school.
He started finding comfort in crime and violence. At this time Malcolm was looking for his purpose and he decided to move to Boston. While being in Boston, crime was not new for him. At a ripe age of nine, Malcolm began robbing for food, then as he got older he found himself in more serious crimes such as drug dealing and gambling. After being arrested three times, he finally found himself in jail for nearly seven years. This time during jail was where Malcolm X was created.
Malcolm found comfort in books and educating himself during his years in jail, he even got transferred to another jail just so he could have a better education. He studied college level classes, latin, languages inspired by his inmate Bimbi, where they both found the passion for a better education. Not only did Malcolm educate himself intellectually, he discovered the Nation of Islam led by Elijah Muhammed. He became enamored with this ideology and wanted to be part of the movement. In prison, he had made the choice to convert to Islam in order to fulfill his life goals of making sure there were equal rights for blacks. When he converted to this new found religion, it had provided him with a sense of hope in what he would be doing after jail.
The Nation Of Islam was not traditional Islamic religion, this was a radical ideology of how whites were seen as the evil race and must be eliminated. There were also strict rules such as wearing certain clothing, men and women being separated during times of worship and praying to Mecca. Malcom X found comfort in the Islam religion and became Elijah Muhammed’s first lieutenant. This then led to him finding independence from this religion and deciding to create his own. Malcolm X had radical beliefs, but he gave people hope. After six year jail sentence, Malcolm X went to meet Elijah Muhammed in order to learn more about Nation of Islam and how he could continue Muhammed’s work in his life.
Malcolm X became a minister and a spokesperson for the Nation of Islam after he got out of jail. He began preaching and opening more mosques in order to help spread the word of the NOI. During this time he grew more followers and his popularity grew as his media coverage increased. After a falling out with Elijah Muhammed, Malcolm separated from the NOI and created his own religion, Muslim Mosque. Inc. In this time he changed his perspective to focus on human rights and became an activist. He stood among people like Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) who were key individuals in the Civil Rights Movement.
There was a key difference between MLK and Malcolm X, and that is Malcolm X believed in violence and MLK did not. MLK believed that you were able to achieve change by peaceful protests. Whereas Malcolm X believed that violence would help us achieve equality. But, today we celebrate Martin Luther King day and everyone takes the day off to remember the impact he had on our society. But, we do not see this for Malcolm X. Society resided with MLK due to them believing that violence would not achieve the change they wanted. Only particular individuals believed that violence is a way of changing the future. A group that would do anything in order to reach equality was the Black Panthers, they felt that they were oppressed from the hegemonic beliefs that the whites were the superior race. They founded this group as a result of Malcolm X assassination and found themselves involved in many violent actions. Individuals with this ideology still believe that violence is the only way to achieve equality.
Malcolm X beliefs confide in those individuals who feel as if the system has cheated them and the only way to achieve equality is violence, they see violence as their only option for change. He gave hope to young African American boys who lacked a father figure, lived in a lower socioeconomic areas, and were projected to be safer in jails than living at home. Even though Malcolm X does not have a national holiday after his legacy, you are still able to see impacts of him in the Black Lives Movement today.
The Black Lives movement was created in July of 2013, their mission was simple, they wanted to see a world where black lives are not targeted. Their mission was sparked when Trayvon Banks was killed by George Zimmerman. Even though Malcolm X was a little more radical in his beliefs, Black Lives Matter is inspired by his passion and his speeches that provided change for black lives. He was passionate about black nationalism and instilling this belief in others understanding what it means to be proud of your skin color. In 2008, the United States was able to see the first black president, Barack Obama. From the Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s to Barack Obama becoming the first black president in 2008 this was able to show a symbol of hope for the movement.
Since Malcolm X death in 1965, where some viewed Malcolm just as a man who was full of crime, radical beliefs and violence. But there are people who see him as a symbol of hope. There are professors, young African Americans, and individuals who still see him as a man who can provide hope for their lives. He is a symbol of showing these individuals what it is like to have an untraditional childhood, go down the wrong path but still come out and find something that is worth living for and teaching others about. He gives hope to those who feel like the system has cheated them and when they look to Malcolm, they feel hope. A man whose legacy became even greater than when he was living.