Malcolm X

Born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska, Malcolm X (1925–1965) was also known as El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, convert to the Nation of Islam, and fighter for equality for all people. Malcolm X's early life was marked by the violent death of his father, separation from his mother and siblings, prison, and his conversion to Islam.

Malcolm X was the first minister (spiritual leader) of the Nation of Islam, Temple No. 11, in Boston, Massachusetts. He quickly gained a reputation for his oratorical skills, his dedication to the Nation of Islam, and his ability to draw others to Islam. He also became known as a defender of human and civil rights and an outspoken critic of the condition of Blacks in the United States and abroad. He moved to New York and later married Betty (Sanders) X. He and Betty (also known as Betty Shabazz) were parents to six daughters.

During his short life, Malcolm X was a frequent speaker not only in Islamic mosques but also at schools and universities, rallies, and marches. He had a charismatic personality and often gave scathing critiques of a system that consistently oppressed Blacks. He was a frequent guest on panels, forums, and television and radio programs where he spoke about and debated the condition of Blacks in America and the best ways to achieve Black self-empowerment. In one of his early appearances, he debated the then president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Walter Carrington, in a forum titled “The American Negro: Problems and Solutions.” The forum as well as other appearances and debates with Black leaders were often heated and contentious and revealed the division in the Black community about Malcolm's X's influence. One of Malcolm X's most famous television appearances was a week-long special with reporter Mike Wallace in 1959. The program, titled “The Hate That Hate Produced,” was an in-depth examination of the ideologies and philosophies of the Nation of Islam. More important, Wallace sought to reveal to the American public a complete picture of Malcolm X. Viewed as anti-White and a controversial figure in U.S. culture, the program traced Malcolm's rise as a leader in the Nation of Islam and the human rights movement and his eventual designation as the Nation of Islam's national spokesperson.

As spokesperson for the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X frequently spoke about the social, racial, economic, and political injustices that negatively affected Blacks and women and about the hegemonic practices in the United States that disenfranchised voters and led to destructive racial tensions in many parts of the United States. He was an influential leader not only in the [Page 633]Nation of Islam but also for a significant number of Blacks of varying religions and socioeconomic classes.

A pilgrimage to Mecca represented a turning point in the spiritual and political life of Malcolm X. On April 4, 1964, he made his pilgrimage to Mecca and thus began a change in his philosophy toward Whites and his approach to Black self-empowerment. During his pilgrimage, he met with Whites who showed a spirit of unity and brotherhood, and that provided him with a new, positive insight into race relations. Malcolm now believed that Islam could be a catalyst to the power to overcome racial antagonism and to erase it from a dominant White America.

...