The Legendary Malcolm X - Essay Example

On the other hand, critics have also revealed plenty of negative things that he did in life, which I would like to find out the truth about from himself. I would like to meet Malcolm X to understand why he portrayed two contradicting characteristics, even if all his efforts were directed towards equal treatment of whites and blacks.

            I would like to meet Malcolm X because of his courage in fighting for the cause of humanity. Not many people could stand out so strongly and openly against a government and accuse it of crimes against humanity. His courage is even more pronounced when one considers that he had no parents to look up to, having been orphaned at a young age. So courageous was he that he was once quoted as saying he would advocate for violence if a state of non-violence meant postponing having a solution to the problems faced by black Americans. Being a person who knew what he wanted early in life, he dropped out of junior school after he was told by a white teacher that his ambition of practicing law in the future was not realistic for blacks (Conyers & Smallwood 33). His commitment to the right treatment of black people in America is worth admiring.

            After dropping out of school at a young age, Malcolm X engaged in various jobs between the age of 14 to 21 years. It is during this time that he also engaged in wrongdoings such as robbery, drug dealing, racketeering, and gambling. He also broke into houses and targeted wealthy white households. He was even denied entry into the military after he said he would steal guns to kill white Americans. It has also been reported that he engaged in sexual activities with other men in exchange for money (Conyers & Smallwood 41). I would like to find out from him why a person with so much ambition and the interests of the minority in his heart could ever have engaged in such contradicting activities. It would be a great experience to know from him how he transformed being released from prison in 1952 to become the influential person he was, even becoming a temple minister and establishing new ones. Meeting Malcolm X can also help in understanding why he controversially advocated for a complete separation of black Americans from white Americans, yet all civil rights movements were fighting against racial segregation.