Malcolm X
Malcolm Little was born on the 19th of May 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. He was the fourth child of Earl and Louise Little. His father served as a Baptist lay speaker and local leader for the Universal Negro Improvement Association. The family faced constant harassment from white racist groups like the Black Legion. They moved to Milwaukee and then Lansing, Michigan, after threats against their home. In 1929, the Black Legion burned down the family house. Malcolm was six years old when his father died in what officials called a streetcar accident. His mother believed he had been murdered by racists. She received life insurance payments of $18 per month but struggled to support seven children. White Seventh-day Adventists witnessed to the family during the Great Depression. They were described as friendly compared to other whites. In 1937, a man she dated vanished while pregnant with her child. Louise suffered a nervous breakdown in late 1938 and was committed to Kalamazoo State Hospital. Her children were separated and sent to foster homes. Malcolm attended West Junior High School and Mason High School before dropping out in 1941. A white teacher told him that becoming a lawyer was unrealistic for a black man. This comment made him feel the white world offered no place for career-oriented black men.
From age 14 to 21, Malcolm held various jobs while living with his half-sister Ella Little-Collins in Roxbury, Boston. He moved to Harlem in 1943 and engaged in drug dealing, gambling, and robbery. He befriended John Elroy Sanford, who later became comedian Redd Foxx. Malcolm feigned mental disturbance when summoned for military service in World War II. He declared he wanted to organize soldiers to steal guns and kill crackers. He was declared mentally disqualified for service. In 1945, he and four accomplices burglarized wealthy white families. He was arrested in February 1946 while picking up a stolen watch. He received an eight-to-ten-year sentence at Charlestown State Prison. He transferred to Concord Reformatory and then Norfolk Prison Colony. Fellow convict John Bembry influenced his voracious appetite for reading. His brother Reginald wrote to him in 1948 about the Nation of Islam. The letter urged him to stop eating pork and smoking cigarettes. Malcolm quit both immediately after reading it. He began writing to Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Nation of Islam. Muhammad advised him to renounce his past and bow in prayer. Malcolm struggled before bending his knees but soon joined the movement. He adopted the name Malcolm X to replace his family name Little. The FBI opened a file on him in 1950 after he wrote to President Harry S. Truman.
Malcolm X visited Elijah Muhammad in Chicago after his parole in August 1952. He became assistant minister of Temple Number One in Detroit in June 1953. That same year he established Boston's Temple Number 11. In March 1954, he expanded Temple Number 12 in Philadelphia. Two months later he led Temple Number Seven in Harlem. Membership grew rapidly under his direction. Hundreds of African Americans joined every month by 1955. He established temples in Springfield, Hartford, and Atlanta. Malcolm stood tall and weighed about 175 pounds. Writers described him as powerfully built and mesmerizingly handsome. He was always spotlessly well-groomed. His speeches had powerful effects on audiences tired of waiting for freedom. The FBI began surveillance of him in 1953. They shifted focus from communist associations to his rapid ascent. By late 1959, he used the name Malcolm Shabazz or el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz. He met Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt at the United Nations General Assembly in September 1960. Fidel Castro invited him to visit Cuba after a two-hour meeting. Malcolm publicly praised Castro as the only white person he ever liked.
Events between 1962 and 1963 caused Malcolm X to reassess his relationship with Elijah Muhammad. Violent confrontations occurred in South Central Los Angeles in late 1961. Police officers beat Muslims outside Temple Number 27 on the 27th of April 1962. Seven Muslims were shot including William Rogers who was paralyzed. Ronald Stokes died while surrendering with hands raised. No charges were laid against police officers. Malcolm sought approval for violent revenge but was denied by Muhammad. Rumors circulated that Muhammad conducted extramarital affairs with young secretaries. Malcolm confirmed these rumors in April 1963 after speaking with Muhammad's son Wallace. Muhammad admitted the behavior during national TV interviews between 1964 and 1965. Seven of eight girls became pregnant from these encounters. An assassination attempt via an explosive device in his car was discovered. Malcolm publicly announced his break from the Nation of Islam on the 8th of March 1964. He founded Muslim Mosque Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity. He converted to Sunni Islam after encouragement from other believers. His conflict with the Nation intensified throughout 1964.
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Common questions
When was Malcolm X born and where did he grow up?
Malcolm Little was born on the 19th of May 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. He grew up in Milwaukee and Lansing, Michigan after his family faced harassment from white racist groups.
What happened to Malcolm X during World War II that led to prison?
Malcolm feigned mental disturbance when summoned for military service in World War II and declared he wanted to organize soldiers to steal guns and kill crackers. He was declared mentally disqualified for service and later arrested in February 1946 while picking up a stolen watch.
How did Malcolm X join the Nation of Islam and what name change occurred?
Malcolm joined the movement after reading a letter from his brother Reginald about the Nation of Islam in 1948. He adopted the name Malcolm X to replace his family name Little after writing to Elijah Muhammad.
Why did Malcolm X break away from the Nation of Islam in 1964?
Malcolm publicly announced his break from the Nation of Islam on the 8th of March 1964 after confirming rumors that Elijah Muhammad conducted extramarital affairs with young secretaries. The conflict intensified throughout 1964 following these revelations.