Malcolm X (El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz )
(1925-1965)
Black Nationalist
Malcolm X was one of the most fiery and controversial
people of the 20th century.
Born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska on May 19,
1925, Malcolm was the son of a Baptist minister, who
was an avid supporter of Marcus Garvey's Universal
Negro Improvement Association. While living in Omaha,
the family was often harassed — at one point the
family's house was set afire. In 1929 the family moved to Lansing, Michigan. While in
Michigan, Malcolm's father was killed; his body severed in two by a streetcar and his
head smashed. In his autobiography, written with Alex Haley, Malcolm asserted that
his father may have been killed by members of the Ku Klux Klan. His mother,
stricken by the death of her husband and the demands of providing for the family,
was committed to a mental institution.
Leaving school after the eighth grade, Malcolm made his way to New York, working
for a time as a waiter at Smalls Paradise in Harlem. Malcolm began selling and using
drugs, turned to burglary, and, in 1946, was sentenced to a ten-year prison term on
burglary charges.
While in prison Malcolm became acquainted with the Black Muslim sect, headed by
Elijah Muhammad, and was quickly converted. Following his parole in 1952, he soon
became an outspoken defender of Muslim doctrines, accepting the basic argument
that evil was an inherent characteristic of the "white man's Christian world."
Unlike Muhammad, Malcolm sought publicity, making provocative and inflammatory
statements to predominantly white civic groups and college campus audiences.
Branding white people "devils," he spoke bitterly of a philosophy of vengeance and
"an eye for an eye." When, in 1963, he characterized the Kennedy assassination as a
case of "chickens coming home to roost," he was suspended from the Black Muslim
movement by Elijah Muhammad.
Disillusioned with Elijah Muhammad's teachings, Malcolm formed his own
organizations, the Organization of Afro-American Unity and the Muslim Mosque Inc.
In 1964 he made a pilgrimage to Islam's holy city, Mecca, and adopted the name ElHajj Malik El Shabazz. He also adopted views that were not popular with other black
nationalists, including the idea that not all whites were evil and that blacks could
make gains by working through established channels.
As a result of Malcolm's new views, he became the victim of death threats. On
February 14, 1965, his home was firebombed; his wife and children escaped
unharmed. A week later, on the 21st, Malcolm was shot and killed at the Audubon
Ballroom in Harlem, while preparing to speak. Three of the men arrested were later
identified as members of the Nation of Islam.
Malcolm X had a profound influence on both blacks and whites. Many blacks
responded to a feeling that he was a man of the people, experienced in the ways of
the street rather than the pulpit or the college campus, which traditionally had
provided the preponderance of black leaders. Many young whites responded to
Malcolm's blunt, colorful language and unwillingness to retreat in the face of hostility.
The memory and image of Malcolm X has changed as much after his death as his
own philosophies changed during his life. At first thought to be a violent fanatic, he is
now understood as an advocate of self-help, self-defense, and education; as a
philosopher and pedagogue, he succeeded in integrating history, religion, and
mythology to establish a framework for his ultimate belief in world brotherhood and
in human justice. Faith, in his view, was a prelude to action; ideas were feckless
without policy. At least three books published since his death effectively present his
most enduring thoughts. In 1992, a monumental film by Spike Lee based on his
autobiography, renewed interest and understanding in the meaning of the life and
death of Malcolm X.
Source: The African American Almanac, 7th ed., Gale, 1997.