Who was Malcolm X and What did he Fight For?

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As a child, when I first heard of and questioned who Malcolm X was, I was consistently answered that Malcolm X was a person that completely despised all white people and wished to reverse the black and white roles in American Society and place the African American community at the top of the social order, or, even better, completely eradicate all white Americans. However, the reality of the situation is very different. Malcolm X once said, "I am not a racist. I am against every form of racism and segregation, every form of discrimination. I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color."(Estate of Malcolm X) Malcolm believed in equality, not subjugation. However, I believe the reason that he is remembered in the violent fashion that was taught to me is because he refused to take the abuse of oppression without putting up a fight. His voice resounded in a different manner than the call of peace and nonviolence that we associate with Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. The call to action within and outside the African American community frightened many Americans, because they feared that they would be placed in the very same situation that they had forced upon others for centuries.
Malcolm X is a man that creates a stir of multiple mixed emotions whenever and wherever he is mentioned. From the minute he threw away his given last name of ‘Little,’ replacing it with the iconic ‘X,’ to the time a bullet tore through his chest, Malcolm lead a revolution. His ability to persuade to think and act based on his point of view through the force of his words struck admiration into the hearts of his followers and fear into the souls of his opponents. He was a man that stood for...

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... his followers expected. On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was addressing some of his followers when the Nation of Islam, who Malcolm had broken away from at this point in pursuit of purifying the beliefs that he felt had been corrupted in the Nation, lead and accomplished the assassination attempt on Malcolm’s life. Malcolm was shot through the chest, and despite the attempts made to save his life, he was killed. Malcolm had constantly preached that he was willing to die for his cause, and his conviction to his beliefs is what brought about the end of his life.

Works Cited

1. Malcolm X. Quotes by Malcolm X. Estate of Malcolm X. Date Unknown. Web. February 27, 2014.
2. Tom Kershaw. The Religion and Political Views of Malcom X. Hollowverse. November 7, 2012. Web. February 28, 2014.

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