MALCOLM X

My decade’s super star is Malcolm X. He was a Civil Rights activist. I received

information on him from a book called, "Malcolm X By Any Means Necessary," By
Walter Dean Myers.

CHILDHOOD.
Malcolm X was born on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. His father ( Earl Little) was
a preacher for U.N.I.A (Universal Negro Improvement Association) Malcolm X had
seven siblings: Wilfred, Hilda, Philbert, Malcolm, Reginald, Yvonne, and Wesley.
Malcolm X was barely four when the Little's moved to a farmhouse on the out skirts of
Lansing, Michigan. Earl little had taken Malcolm to many U.N.I.A meetings. Malcolm
has seen his father active in the meetings, he seen him speak to crowds of cheering
African Americans. On September 28, 1931 Malcolm was awoken in the middle of the
night by his mother who was screaming; there were police in the living room trying to
calm the crying woman down. They took her to Sparrow hospital where Earl Little lay
dead, he was crushed by a street car. Malcolm X was six when his father died.

EVENT 1
When Malcolm was six years old his father was run over and killed by a street
car. This event would have a major effect on Malcolm. He saw his father give speeches to
hordes of people. Also, Malcolm had seen the respect that his father had both as a
president of the Omaha branch of the U.N.I.A, and as a spiritual leader. But, everything
changed on September 28, 1931 when Malcolm was awakened by his sobbing mother.
Police took the family to see earl Little's crushed body. After Malcolm’s father died
Malcolm felt insecure and scared, he had nights filled with terror of sudden death. The
six year old Malcolm X was afraid to go to sleep in the dark. When Malcolm was
attending the trail of the street car he didn't understand much of what was happening,
except the driver was acquitted. The jury said, “Early Little was going back to find his
coat,” He was thought to have tripped and fell under the street car, then was run over.
Malcolm knew this was obviously a lie to protect the white streetcar driver, William hart.
Malcolm later wrote, “Why would my father throw himself in front of a street car only to
be killed, leaving behind all that he cares about."

EVENT 2
Another event that had an impact on Malcolm's life is when he was thirteen on
January, 1939; his mother had a mental breakdown and was considered legally insane.
Malcolm and the other six children were sent to foster homes. By the age of thirteen
Malcolm had lost all of his family. He was sent to a juvenile home in Mason, Michigan.
He tried hard to fit in with the new school but, kids that were bigger and stronger than
him would hassle him in school. He tried to fit in; he tried to be as white as possible. But
he wasn't white, and he couldn't act as if he where, because he was still being called a
nigger by kids who disliked him. He knew there were things he couldn't do because he
was black. Malcolm became quieter, staying more to him self than he had earlier on.
Malcolm played basket ball for the school team. When he played against other teams, the
kids in the stands would call him racial names and slurs. Despite the criticism Malcolm
still excelled in school.

EVENT 3
Although, there were so many obstacles in Malcolm's life he still kept a steady
pace in his academics. One day, one of Malcolm's teachers asked him what he wanted to
do in life. The teacher was one of Malcolm's favorites. He had always done well in his
class, and thought the teacher liked him. Malcolm told the teacher that he wanted to be a
lawyer. Malcolm excepted the teacher to be pleased with his choice since he had always
encouraged his pupils, trying to get them to push themselves to explore their limits.
Instead of being pleased with Malcolm's choice, the teacher seemed upset, he reassured
Malcolm that he liked him, but he told Malcolm he had to be realistic. "We all here like
you, you know that. But you've got to be realistic about being a nigger. A lawyer-that's no
realistic goal for a nigger. You need to think about something you can be. You’re good
with your hands. Why don't you think about carpentry?" -the Autobiography of Malcolm
X. This encounter with the teacher was the turning point in Malcolm's life. The teacher
probably thought he was doing him a favor by preparing him for what life had in store for
a black person. Malcolm's classmates tried to cheer him up, but it wasn't helpful. On that
day, he had given up his dream. His grades where dropping rapidly; going from A’s to
B’s then from B’s to D’s. He went from being one of the best students in his school to
one of the worst

WHO DID HE AFFECT

Malcolm X (Or Malcolm Little) was a civil rights activist like Martin Luther king.
He was a member of the black Muslims. He saw that his fellow blacks and Muslims had
the care and medical attention they needed. Racial tensions ran increasingly high during
the early 1960s. In addition to the media, Malcolm's vivid personality had captured the
government's attention. As membership in the Nation of Islam continued to grow, F.B.I
(Federal Bureau of Investigation) agents infiltrated the organization. One even acted at
Malcolm's bodyguard. The F.B.I secretly placed bugs, wiretaps and cameras surveillance
equipment to monitor the group's activities. The leader of the nation of Islam was Elijah
Muhammad, who was also Malcolm’s mentor. Malcolm soon realized that Muhammad
had another side that was not a kind leader Malcolm had known. Thus on March 1964 he
terminated his relationship with the Nation of Islam and founded the Muslim Mosque, Inc
(The black Muslims.) The Black Muslims were feared by most of the population because
of Malcolm, there were rumors that he had been kicked off te nation of Islam. But he was
actually helping many people. Malcolm started to look like a kind civil rights activist
unlike a cruel dictator.