The Issue of Malcolm X - Essay Example

? Malcolm X Teacher               Malcolm X Malcolm X was a man of different philosophies and was described as “philosophically promiscuous” for he combined capitalism, Pan-Africanism, and Marxism in order to fight for the freedom of the Black Americans in the United States during his time (Biddle, 2011). Malcolm Little was born in Omaha, Nebraska on May 19, 1925. The white racists of Lansing killed Malcolm’s father by laying him on the railroad track, but even while his father was still alive, their family had already been terrorized by the Klu Klux Klan. Malcolm’s mother Louise was confined by the white authorities in a mental asylum. This made Malcolm and his brothers and sisters live separate lives and live in different families while attending school (“Malcolm X,” n.d.). His childhood home was also burned down by white racists (Vaughn, 2011). Moreover, while at school, Malcolm was discouraged by his teacher from becoming a lawyer – that it was “no realistic goal” for a black like him – and this was where he first learned how it was to be discriminated and when he quit school to begin working and making money (Vaughn, 2011; “Malcolm X,” n.d.). Malcolm was not only a man of different philosophies but also a man of many skills and experiences. During his younger years, he was a peddler of sandwiches, and a butler. Malcolm was also a powerful orator, a propagandist, a mythologizer, and a talented debater (Biddle, 2011). Moreover, he also did any other odd job from which he could get money like working as a pimp and selling drugs (“Malcolm X,” n.d.). This was even the reason why he eventually turned up into a small-time home burglar for which he was arrested, and that while in prison, he converted to Nation of Islam (“Malcolm X,” n.d.). The Nation of Islam was a small but enormously popular black cult in the 1940s with branches in New York, Chicago and Detroit, and whose principle was a nationwide movement to threaten white supremacy with the motto “The white man is the devil” (“Malcolm X,” n.d.). While in prison, Malcolm simply communicated with the cult’s founder Elijah Muhammad through mail. In prison, while awaiting his parole, he read several encyclopedias and studied many books about Islam and the Koran. After his parole in 1952, he began founding mosques in several cities like Philadelphia, Boston and Harlem. It was also in the midst of his work for the Nation of Islam that he married Betty X, who was a fellow member (“Malcolm X,” n.d.). The “X” in Malcolm X’s name, as well as in any other Black American’s, is actually a mere replacement for his last name, upon realizing that this last name came from the slave-owners who used to own his grandparents and great grandparents, and that “X” must denote the lost African last name of his true ancestors (Miller, n.d.). Vision of America Malcolm’s vision of America was mainly directed towards his fellow Black Americans. As a racist against whites and the chief spokesman for the Black Muslim organization known as the Nation of Islam, Malcolm argued that racism in America was so intense that institutions and people had no more hope to offer to blacks. Unlike his contemporary, Martin Luther King Jr., who advocated a nonviolent protest against racial discrimination, Malcolm decided to instill in every black American a hatred of the institution of the whites (“Competing Voices,” n.d.). This hatred was born when he witnessed “police dogs tear into young African-American children protesting for integration in Birmingham” (Miller, n.d). Malcolm also knew of the lynching of around 4,743 blacks from 1882 to the time of his death in 1965 despite the fact that slaves have been freed in the Civil War (Biddle, 2011). Malcolm’s vision of America was more like a form of hatred born out of racism. In fact, he is known to have said, “No, I’m not an American…I’m one of the twenty-two million black people who are victims of Americanism” (Miller, n.d.). On the whole, Malcolm’s vision of America is not one where both blacks and whites live together harmoniously but one of a place where his three dearest principles operate: the right of all people to liberty, that they should employ any means to attain this liberty, and that extremism as long as it is used to obtain freedom is never a vice. Nevertheless, despite his extremist views and after being reformed in Mecca, Malcolm advocated suffrage for blacks and not violence – the Ballot, not the Bullet, for racism was a dead end (Biddle, 2011). Malcolm X’s legacy to the American people, particularly to Blacks, was a message of hope. Caste and class dictate how people all over the world must behave, but Malcolm’s example has proven that one – no matter how he looks – deserves respect and dignity (Biddle, 2011). How His Thoughts on Race Changed After Malcolm’s pilgrimage to Mecca in 1964, his thoughts on race changed because in Mecca, he found the true meaning of international unity – “people from all races and countries live together in harmony, eat together, walk together, [and] pray together” (“Reading The Autobiography,” 2007). Moreover, he has also come to realize that “[his] dearest friends include all kinds – soe Christians, Jews…Agnostics and even Atheists…Socialists and Communists…moderates, conservatives, extremists…black, brown, red, yellow and white” (“Reading The Autobiography,” 2007). In short, Malcolm was transformed by his pilgrimage to Mecca, which made him realize that he should not be fighting against the whites no matter how unjust the ways of the latter were. The pilgrimage to Mecca may not have been attended by Muslims but it was definitely the perfect opportunity for Malcolm to realize that not only are people equal in race but also in their political convictions and religion. This eventually made him loosen up his ties with the Nation of Islam as he realized that Elijah Muhammad did not share his views. This radical change in Malcolm’s philosophy eventually cost him his life when he was assassinated in 1965 by several members of his former revolutionary group, Nation of Islam. This seems to be a more or less predictable assassination since prior to his death, Malcolm had received several death threats from the Nation of Islam. The assassination was also understandable because Malcolm had defected from an extremist group. Although this was the prize of his enlightenment in Mecca, the efforts that Malcolm made in order to inspire Black Americans during a time when they needed it most can never be emphasized too heavily. References Biddle, R. (2011). “Malcolm X: All-American.” Retrieved June 6, 2012 from the American Spectator: http://spectator.org/archives/2011/08/25/malcolm-x-all-american. “Competing Voices of the Civil Rights Movement.” (n.d.). Retrieved June 6, 2012 from the National Endowment for the Humanities: http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/black-separation-or-beloved-community-malcolm-x-and-martin-luther-king-jr. “Malcolm X.” (n.d.). Retrieved June 6, 2012 from the Way to Allah: http://www.way-to-allah.com/en/journey/malcolm,html. Miller, K. D. (n.d.). “Malcolm X (1925-1965).” Retrieved June 7, 2012 from Cengage: http://college.cengage.com/english/heath/syllabuild/iguide/xmalcolm.html. “Reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X.” (2007). Retrieved June 7, 2012 from the Saudi Alchemist: http://saudialchemist.org/2007/09/05/reading-the-autobiography-of-malcolm-x/. Vaughn, S. L. (2011). “Malcolm X’s story critical in race relations.” Retrieved June 6, 2012 from the Chicago Tribune: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-10-14/entertainment/sc-ent-1012-books-change-malcolm-x-20111014_race-relations-young-black-men-black-culture. Read More