Malcom X: By Any Means Necessary

The man we know as Malcom X was born on May 19, 1925, was born in Omaha, Nebraska as Malcom Little. His mother was Lousie Little and his father was Earl Little. Earl Little was a black rights activist. He strived to help his people “reach their full potential”. Earl’s ideas were based on the ideas of a black leader named Marcus Garvey. Marcus Garvey created an organization called the U.N.I.A. or the Universal Negro Improvement Association. When Earl moved his family to Omaha, Nebraska, he took Marcus’s ideas with him. Earl soon became the head of the U.N.I.A. in Omaha. As Earl spread around his beliefs, racists threatened to harm him and his family. They drove earl and his family out of Omaha. Although Earl received threats, he did not give up on his beliefs. Earl and his family moved to Milwaukee and were still involved in the U.N.I.A. Garvey suggested that all African-Americans Move to Africa. Many blacks did not want to associate themselves with Africa so they complained to the government. Later, Garvey was arrested for mail fraud. The Littles moved to the outskirts of Lansing, Michigan. Their neighbors disapproved having blacks living next to them. Earl fought for the right to live in the house that he bought. Two weeks later, Malcom and his family were awakened by a fire that was started in their house. It was in the middle of the night. The fire department came to the house, but didn’t try to put out the fire. The Littles watched as their house burned down. Malcom’s family then moved to East Lansing, Michigan. There, his family was stoned by his neighbors. Earl wanted safety for his family so he moved again to the outskirts of the town. By 1931 there were seven children in the little family. Malcom’s had six brothers and sisters. The oldest was Wilfred, and then came Hilda, then Philbert and then Malcom. Reginald, Yvonne, and Wesley were his younger siblings. As a child, Malcom watched his father speak at U.N.I.A. meetings and respected how he spoke with such power and pride. By the age of six, he already knew many of the problems that faced the blacks. On the 28th of September 1931, Malcom was awakened by his mothers screams. Malcom’s father, Earl Little, was dead. He had been run over by a trolley. They suspected that he was killed by white people who hated him. Malcom had experienced so much tragedy by the age of six years. Malcom experienced another big change in his life, going to school. Most of the people at Malcom’s school were white, but they treated Malcom nicely. Malcom’s mother, Louise Little, did “day’s work”. They cleaned houses and earned money for their days work. Many of the black women had this job. They were offered five dollars for a week’s work. Louise earned fifty cents per day. She barely had enough money for food. She was well educated and if she had been white, she would have had been better off. Malcom got more and more worse in his behavior. He put a thumbtack on his teacher’s chair and was expelled from school. His mother was receiving welfare at the time and the social security workers questioned Louise about how she was as a parent. Later, Louise was sent to a mental institute. Malcom then went to live with his half sister, Ella. Ella invited Malcom to live with her in Boston. Malcom had to adjust to the city life. Ella told Malcom that he should make friends with high caliber people. Instead, he made friends with a boy her met at a pool hall. The boy’s name was Shorty. Shorty taught him how a black person could make a living in Boston. Malcom soon got a job as a shoe-shiner. He really knew how to entertain his customers. Soon enough, Malcom was learning how to speak and act like the people in Roxbury. Ella disapproved of Malcom spending his time in Roxbury. Malcom liked the excitement that was in Roxbury. Malcom wanted to change his image. He got his first Zoot Suit and got his first “Conk”. A Conk was a hairstyle used in the 40’s and 50’s. For teenagers, it was hard to find a job. Ella’s friend helped Malcom get a job on the railroad as a kitchen helper. As a kitchen helper, Malcom washed dishes, cleaning up after the cooks, bagging and disposing garbage, and washing stoves and counters. This kind of job was considered a great job for a black man. In early 1942, Malcom got to travel. He was assigned to the New York to Boston run. He then got a job as a sandwich man. He was on the train selling coffee cakes, ham and cheese sandwiches and coffee. In 1943, Malcom was eighteen years old and was in between jobs. Malcom sold drugs such as Marijuana, gambled, and worked with big-time mobsters. Malcom then became known as Detroit Red. He was then arrested for robbery and spent six years in prison. While Malcolm was in prison, his brother, Reginald Little sent letters to him describing his experience with the Nation Of Islam, and decided to convert. Malcom wrote letters to a man named Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the State of Islam. He responded to Malcom’s letters telling him not to think of himself as a criminal, but to think of the white people who have forced him to act the way he has. In 1952 Malcom was released from Prison. Malcom then met Elijah in person for the first time. He invited Malcom and other members to his house to have a meeting. There. Malcom fully understood the beliefs of the Nation of Islam. At the meeting, Malcom gained the right to drop his slave name and take up the last name “X”. The “X” represented his lost African name. Malcom then became a minister for the New York Temple Number Seven. Malcom then marries Sister Betty X four years later. Malcom helped the Nation of Islam to grow. In 1964, Malcom announced his split from the Nation of Islam. Malcom was willing to work with anyone who was willing to help African-Americans gain freedom. While Malcom was giving a speech in 1965, he was shot and murdered. The people accused of murdering Malcom were Norman 3X Butler, Thomas 15X Johnson, and Talmadge Hayer.

-By Jayke Manzano