Civil Rights Activists: Malcolm X

Malcolm X was a muslim, black man who cared very much about gaining equal rights. He was, in a way, an extremist. Though only taking action when he felt necessary, when he did take action, it often had drastic effects on the people and events occurring around him. Unlike Martin Luther King or other leading civil rights activists, he did not believe in peaceful protest. He believed in “whatever means necessary” to accomplish his goals. Because of his strong efforts and his unmatched determination, Malcolm X, formally known as Malcolm Little, changed the course of the civil rights movement. If not for him, the events that played out to cause the eventual conclusion of the struggle would have been forever altered.

Mr. Little’s journey started when he became intertwined with crime and began to obsess over justice and equality. Malcolm got involved in drug dealing, burglary and pimping. In 1945, he was sentenced to a 10-year jail sentence for his offences. While serving his sentence, Little was convinced, by his brothers, to join the Nation of Islam (NOI.) When let free, he took on the persona of Malcolm X, as Little was a slave name. Malcolm X left NOI in March 1964, though. This is because he felt that NOI was an organization that was too passive and that it was not forcing change into society, and that it was just waiting for the change to come on its own. However, he had made enemies in NOI. He created the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU). The aim of the OAAU was to segregate blacks from whites. He was assassinated February 21st 1965 in Manhattan by members of NOI.

Despite the controversy that he held, Malcolm X and the bold radicalism he possessed caused the major internationalization of the Civil Rights Movement. In No...

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...him, it is possible that King would not have been taken seriously either. He condemned the march on Washington - calling it, in his own autobiography, “the farce on Washington.” Because of Malcolm, hundreds, if not thousands of blacks did not march that day. Even though today many consider that a bad thing, he thought that the march demeaned and unempowered people of African-American descent.

Malcolm X brought pride to being black. He did not think that blacks had to be given rights by whites, but that they were independent peoples. Although before he could accomplish his life wishes he was assassinated, his impact on the Civil Rights Movement will never be forgotten. Historians will never forget the man who demanded freedom for his race. Sometimes, extremity is not bad thing, but in the case of Malcolm X, extremity is the life essence of pride, power, and freedom.