Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary

Malcolm X
By Any Means Necessary

Malcolm Little was born on May 19, 1925 to Earl and Louise Little. He had many other siblings. On September 28, 1931, Malcolm received the news that his father had died. He was six years old at the time. After his father’s death, things started to go downhill. Malcolm started to feel insecure, and his mother was struggling to make money to buy the food the family needed. His mother was hardly ever home because she was too busy working or looking for work. There was no money for clothing, and Malcolm had to wear what was handed down to him by his older brothers. Then one day, Malcolm was caught stealing, and one of the neighbors reported it to the welfare investigator. The welfare investigator then questioned Malcolm’s mother, and she began to cry. Louise Little then began to sit for long periods of time without speaking. She acted as if she suddenly forgot to do things she always had done before around the house. She would ignore the children and began talking to no one in particular. She would often cry softly to herself for no reason. Soon her condition worsened, and Malcolm and some of his siblings were placed in separate homes. Malcolm was placed in a home of a black family named the Goannas. He was sad that he had been separated from his family. Malcolm was transferred from the Pleasant Grove School to West Junior High School. He began to have troubles in WJH, and one day, he put a thumbtack under the teacher’s chair and was expelled. He simply thought he wouldn’t attend school after that, but he was then forced into a reform school, which was run by the Swerlein family in Mason.
During this time in his life, Malcolm met Ella, his half sister. She invited Malcolm to Boston. Malcolm wasn’t used to cities, but he was fascinated by the pace, the music and the fast life. He then moved to the city of Boston, where there was a history of black populations and a history of civil rights. In 1943, he moved to New York City. He worked for the New Haven Railroad, and he also worked as a shoe shiner at a Lindy Hop nightclub. After some time in Harlem, he became involved in drug dealing, gambling, robbery, etc. His friends started to call him "Detroit Red.” He was later arrested for robbery and spent six years in prison.
While Malcolm was in prison, his brother Reginald wrote letters describing his experience with the Nation Of Islan, and Malcolm decided to convert.
In 1952, Malcolm was released from prison, and he went to meet Elijah Muhammad in Chicago. Soon after his meeting with Elijah Muhammad, he changed his last name, Little, to X. The X symbolizes the rejection of their slave names and the disappearance of the “inherited African” name.
In 1958, Malcolm married Betty X in Lansing, Michigan, and had six daughters. Malcolm soon started traveling and preaching about segregation. He, like Martin Luther King, Jr., did not agree with the dividing of blacks and whites. He forced equality upon the people he preached to, literally. He wanted people to get freedom… “by any means necessary.” On Feburary21,1965, Malcolm had just begun giving a speech when a disturbance broke out in the crowd. As Malcolm and his bodyguards moved to quiet the disturbance, a man rushed forward and shot Malcolm in the chest. Two other men charged the stage and fired at Malcolm. Malcolm was shot 16 times and was pronounced dead on arrival at New York's CNew York's Columbia Preysbyterian Hostpital.

My Response:
I think that it’s just crazy how people can get so caught up in hating someone just because what that person says is true. Malcolm X wanted a change. He didn’t like the separation of blacks and whites so he preached about it, and what came next? He got shot. How ironic. Martin Luther King, Jr. did the same thing, and he also got shot. I think its kind of weird. I also think it’s pretty pathetic that people would just shoot another person just because they don’t believe in what the other person believes in. I think Malcolm X preached for the right thing. I mean who ever heard of separating people just because of their color? That’s like separating oranges from oranges. Everyone is the same, or should I say that everyone is equal?

Isn’t America supposed to be about freedom of speech and taking a stand when you think something isn’t right? What’s up with that?

Speaking of freedom of speech and expression, at times, I see our society as a hypocritical one. We say things like you can dress however you want to dress, and then some smart kid comes along and asks, “What is that you’re wearing?” “Shouldn’t you be dressed like us?” “Shouldn’t you conform?” I mean what the heck?! Then the very next day, that smart kid comes to school with the outfit you were wearing yesterday, and you’re wearing what he wore yesterday. The smart kid says, “What is that you’re wearing?” Other times, it’s like a person tells you to be quiet, and then in the next five minutes, that person who told you to be quiet is screaming at the top of their lungs.

I also think that Malcolm shouldn’t have forced a change upon people. Although sometimes it’s good to get people’s attention and make them realize that these types of things are happening, I don’t think it should have been violently done. Using force to change people will get them angry because who would want someone coming up to them and violently forcing change upon them? I know I wouldn’t. Martin Luther King, Jr. spread his ideas peacefully and without force, and for that, we respect him and have a holiday devoted to him. I think his message got around way more strongly than Malcolm’s ever did. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “While we did not always see eye to eye on methods to solve the race problem, I always had a deep affection for Malcolm and felt that he had a great ability to put his finger on the existence and the root of the problem. He was an eloquent spokesman for his point of view and no one can honestly doubt that Malcolm had a great concern for the problems we face as a race.” And Elija Muhammad said, “Malcolm X got just what he preached."

--Lasie Eto