Malcolm X

1 Pages 288 Words

Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. His mother Louis Norton Little was a homemaker taking care of the family's eight children. His father, Earl Little, was a Baptist minister and supporter of Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. There Michigan home was burned to the ground, and two years later Earl's mutilated body was found lying across the town's trolley tracks. Police ruled both accidents, but the Little's knew that members of the Black Legion did it. Louise had a breakdown several years after the death of her husband and was committed to a mental institution. Her children were split up in foster homes and orphanages.

Malcolm was a smart, focused student and graduated from junior high at the top of his class. However, when a favorite teacher told Malcolm his dream of becoming a lawyer was "no realistic goal for a nigger," Malcolm lost interest in school. He dropped out, spent some time in Boston, Massachusetts working diferent jobs, and then wnet to Harlem, New York where he caused troble.

Eventually Malcolm and his buddy, Malcolm "Shorty" Jarvis, moved back to Boston, where they were arrested and convicted for burglary in 1946. Malcolm It was during this time that Malcolm's brother Reginald visited and discussed his converson to the Muslim religious organization the Nation of Islam. Then Malcolm studie the Islam leader Elijah Muhammad. Among other things, the Nation of Islam fought for a state of their own, separate from one where white people lived. By the time he was paroled in 1952, Malcolm was a devoted follower with the new surname "X." He considered "Little" a slave name and chose the "X" to signify his lost tribal name....