On the afternoon of February 21st 1965 the man who went by the name Malcolm X was fatally shot and killed while standing in a pulpit. He was seen as the leader of an organization called “the Nation of Islam”. He was killed in front of his wife and children. These are only a few facts from the day that Civil Rights Leader Malcolm X was assassinated in Harlem, New York on a cold day in February. As with any murder of this magnitude the press descended upon the humble street in Harlem where Malcolm X’s Masque was located to capture picture of his lifelessly body being carried out of the building and the murders being accosted. There is a tiny widow of opportunity that the press has in these situations to report the facts, before the overwhelming …show more content…
On March 17th 1963 Malcolm X would appear (for the only time in color) on a Chicago based television show City Desk where panelist would discuss issues plaguing Illinois and the rest of the country. With Chicago being the epicenter of Black culture at this point in time it was only fitting to feature X’s on the show after the signing of the Civil Rights Bill by President Lyndon B. Johnson. X’s relentlessly went after the narrator for trying to pigeon hole him into giving the audience another last name other than his trademark “X”.
“When you see a negro today, you’ll go back in the day and find that his grandfather was given his last name from the slave master…my father didn’t know his last name. The real names of our people were destroyed by slavery. My ancestor’s names were taken from them during slavery. ”
This would be one of the few times X would appear on a television show as a guest. In 1965, shortly before his death he appeared on a Canadian television show called Front Page. Many of his speeches were recorded and later broadcasted after his death. Though not as a direct guest, X did regularly appear on television with on camera news interviews just outside various Masque will under the direction of Elijah
On February 11th 1965 Malcolm X gave a speech at the London school of economics. In Malcolm’s speech Malcolm discussed the racism that plagued the United States during the 1960s. During this speech Malcolm brought up police brutality and the riots that it caused, saying that the riots were nothing more than a reaction by the African community because of police brutality. Since Malcolm x’s time many things have been accomplished for the equality of Africans in America; however In today’s society America still feels the anguish of riots based on police brutality. Malcom X’s view on racism was a “whatever it takes” type of theology, justifying violence to end racism. During Malcolm X’s speech on February 11th 1965 Malcolm sheds light on many of
When Malcolm returned to the United States he became more optimistic about a peaceful resolution to America’s race problems. Malcolm stated, “The true brotherhood I had seen had influenced me to recognize that anger can blind human vision.” On February 21, 1965 Malcolm X was delivering a speech at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan, when three gunmen shot him fifteen times. He was 39 years old. The three men who shot Malcolm were convicted and were found to all be members of the Nation of
If there was any one man who demonstrated the anger, the struggle, and the beliefs of African Americans in the 1960s, that man was Malcolm X. The African American cultural movement of the 1920s lost momentum in the 1930s because of worldwide economic depression. The Great Depression helped to divert attention from cultural to economic matters. Even before the stock market crash of 1929, unemployment and poverty among blacks was exceptionally high. It was under these difficult conditions that Malcolm X experienced his youth in the South. Malcolm X was a very controversial character in his time. He grew up in a very large family. His father hunted rabbits to sell to the white people for money, and his mother stayed home to take care of all the children. Several times when he was young, his family was forced to relocate due to the racist groups that would burn or run them out of their home like the Ku Klux Klan. One of these groups called the Black Legion killed his father by tying him to the railroad tracks. Malcolm’s father had life insurance but was not given to his family because they said that Earl Little had committed suicide. This was quite impossible because his head was bashed in and he tied himself to the railroad. Without his father’s income, Malcolm's family was forced to get government help and food. Applying for this type of assistance brought many white Social Workers into their home. They asked questions and interrogated the entire family. Malcolm’s mother always refused to talk or let them in.
Malcolm Little was born on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. At the time of his birth, Malcolm's father was a Baptist Minister. His mom was a writer of Marcus Garvey. Before he was born, his father had 3 children with his previous marriage and 3 before him with his mom.
In conclusion, I would like to say that this book is worthwhile reading although it is a quite thick and might take longer time to finish reading it. I might not good in reviewing a book or giving criticism for something. Reading this autobiography can benefit people in many fields. Different people will see things differently. So does when reading this book, certain people might take the lessons differently and it might benefit differently. For example, as a sociological study, it could provide fascinating insights into ghetto life and the ways which an individual learned to survive in the ghetto. Meanwhile as a religious work, it does tell about how an individual is struggling in order to find his God. And it cannot be denied as it is clear that in political work is the book has had its strongest impact.
Malcolm X should be everyone’s hero, someone people like myself should look up to as a human being. Anyone who thinks otherwise is either a racist or is extremely ignorant. Malcolm X wore his heart on his sleeve and whether right or wrong he was never afraid to say what was on his mind to anyone who cared to listen. I personally believe Malcolm X’s beliefs give me strength to do what's right and carry myself with dignity. I remember, as a kid, my parents had tons of books about Black History books. The first book I read was a Malcolm X biography. I realized Malcolm X was truly a powerful, significant, and essential work for all time.
While in the Middle East, he would learn that diverse people could live in harmony and his rhetoric would become unifying, although one could argue that shift began in his delivery of “The Ballot or the Bullet.” Just months after the speech, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, outlawing discrimination. Most of the credit for the breakthrough goes to Martin Luther King Jr. and his associates for orchestrating the March on Washington. 315 days after delivering “The Ballot or the Bullet” in Detroit, Malcolm X was assassinated by three Nation Of Islam members. The reeducation of African Americans, and all minorities for that matter, remains a work in progress. “The Ballot or the Bullet” serves as a rallying cry to all struggling populations, reminding them of their personal responsibility to improve the state of their existence rather than waiting for assistance. In June, 1964, Malcolm X delivered his first speech as the leader of the Organization of Afro-American Unity. In the same room where his life ended, Malcolm X was quoted as saying “Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs only to the people who prepare for it today” (“Malcolm X 's Speech at the Founding Rally of the Organization of Afro-American
This paper will discuss the different stages of thought processes the former Nation of Islam minister, Malcolm X went through during his lifetime in terms of how he viewed white people, but more specifically “the white man” in America. The reason the focus is on White Americans is because these were the people outside of the Nation of Islam that shaped his life good or bad and put him on the path where he eventually transformed from Malcolm Little to Malcolm X who was one of the most polarizing and controversial figures during his lifetime and even nearly 50 years after his death the name Malcolm X causes certain people to shudder. Malcolm X became a well-known figure during the 50’s and 60’s during the civil rights movement which involved figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. This was a pivotal era in American history because for the first time that there was major push towards full rights for African Americans. When Malcolm X came on the scene he put fear into White people because they weren’t used to hearing the truth about race relations in America and many of them felt that things were just fine because they themselves were living life high on the hog while at the same time exploiting Blacks. Because this type of talk from a black person was new to them they misinterpreted his views as “hate speech” and accused him of trying to incite violence when he was simply trying wake his people up to properly deal with what was happening to them.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X is a personal account of one man’s search for truth in a racially charged world. Born Malcolm Little, in Omaha, Nebraska, his life is marred by injustice and violence at a very young age. His father, a tall and extremely black man, with little education, is mysteriously murdered, forcing his mother into a mental hospital. Malcolm, along with his siblings, were placed in foster homes. His beginnings had always included racism; the family firmly believed, though never proven, his father was murdered by a KKK splinter group, after years of harassment. A turning point came when a teacher asked him what he would like to be when he grew up. As he answered he wanted to become a lawyer, his teacher told him, “you’ve got
Malcolm X wasn’t as innocent as many people believe. As a matter of fact, one could say he deserved to be assassinated. Malcolm X was murdered February 21, 1965. At 39 years of age Malcolm X was shot around 15 times at a speaking engagement in the Manhattan’s Audubon Ballroom. The assassination of Malcolm X was just because he preached racism. and was an advocate for violence in place of peaceful protest; however many people considered him to be a supporter of racial amalgamation.
In the 1960s it was a hard time for black Americans. There was a revolution being driven by two well know black civil rights leaders. The first phase of the revolution was driven by a young Islamic black man, Malcolm X, who was a spokesperson for the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X was adamant that blacks needed to take care of their own business. In the issue of black integration in American culture. Malcolm X had the ability to reach any one member of the black nation in America. This revolution was cut short on a sad day in February of 1965, when Malcolm X was assassinated. This left a void in the hearts of the people who he had touched upon in his revolt. This was where things began to get funky.
The Nation of Islam, which Malcolm X was an important member of, is not a religious organization as the name suggests but rather an organization whose goal was to make the lives of African Americans better instead of actually teaching the proper ethics of Islam. One of the main objectives of this organization was Black Nationalism, through which Black leaders can control the areas where there is a majority of African Americans. This cause was greatl...
The 20th century was a definitive time period for the Black civil rights movement. An era where the status quo was blatant hatred and oppression of African Americans, a time when a black son would watch his father suffer the indignity of being called a “boy” by a young white kid and say nothing in reply but “yes sir”. Where a Black person can be whipped or lynched for anything as little as not getting off the sidewalk when approaching a white person, for looking into their eyes, or worse, “for committing the unpardonable crime of attempting to vote.” In the midst of the racial crises and fight for social equality were Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. who despite their difference in philosophies were “icons of social justice movement both in the United States and around the world” .
The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told by Alex Haley is about a man who changed the history of America. Malcolm (Little) X preached what he believed about racism, discrimination, and segregation. He went through many changes in his fight for equality. The three transformations that really changed the way Malcolm thought and preached where his transformation in prison, his transformation into the Islamic religion (following Elijah Muhammad), and the biggest transformation of all, his pilgrimage to Mecca. In all of Malcolm actions, teachings and transformations we learn different points of view and we get a good look at different aspects of events. The life of Malcolm (Little) X as told in his autobiography should be read by all.
Over thousands of people attended the funeral and there were thousands in the streets wanting to attend. Even though a few of Malcolm's beliefs were misunderstood throughout the years, some of his beliefs are still followed today. In these beliefs, it can be found that he was not driven by hate but by love. He spoke of "violence only in name of peace." He was a gentle and loving father. He wanted to free his people and all oppressed people everywhere. He did this by giving them the courage to stand up and fight for what was theirs. Malcolm X's voice may have been silenced by his death but his ideas, beliefs and teachings live on.