Malcolm X
Malcolm X was born in a society that struggled to maintain equality between the whites and the blacks. Malcolm Little was Malcolm X’s name before his transformation to become a nationalist who went through several challenges to advocate for the equal treatment of the blacks. In the early years of Malcolm’s life, the Ku Klux clan introduced Malcolm to the ugly side of racial discrimination after the clan burnt down their house. Malcolm was wise enough to realize that the attack was made by the white locals who were against the settlement of the blacks. The life of Malcolm X took a turn for greatness after his arrest after a series of criminal activities since his time in prison led to his transformation to a man who valued the equality of the blacks, and he later grew more influential than his mentor, Elijah Muhammad.
Black Nationalism has remained a significant aspect of American politics. The struggle towards the equal treatment of the blacks in America saw the emergence of civil rights movements that were alienated from Martin Luther King and the black power movements that were alienated from Malcolm X. However, Malcolm X can be viewed as having been a student of Elijah Muhammad, yet Malcolm grew to become a hero more than his mentor (Malcolm, 2015). The life of Malcolm was shaped into heroism from his earlier years, owing to the challenges that he had to go through during his early years. Malcolm’s father died when Malcolm was young after allegedly being hit by a car. However, the accident appeared to be a planned murder by local whites, and thus Malcolm grew to become a bitter man who did not accept the superiority of the whites to weigh him down. Malcolm dropped out of school after being reminded by his teacher that the only career that would suit him as a black child was that of carpentry. Generally, dropping out of school was the beginning of Malcolm’s transformation since he got into crime and was later arrested and jailed, a sentence that introduced him to his transformation journey. Moreover, the journey by Malcolm to heroism started at a humble beginning and later made him a prominent role model.
The transformation of Malcolm X into a committed Muslim marked the beginning of an influential era of activism. Before being arrested, Malcolm had chosen crime as a method of going against the laws set by the whites, which discriminated against the blacks. For example, the Ku Klux clan carried out criminal activities without legal actions being taken on them. Therefore, Malcolm grew up bitter since he did not understand why the whites were not controlled by the same laws that were used against the blacks (Hart, 2016). Life in prison introduced Malcolm to Islam, with Elijah Muhammad being his mentor. Furthermore, Elijah Muhammad was impressed with the confidence with which Malcolm was turning out to embrace the fight for equality. Elijah Muhammad had formed the Nation of Islam, and Malcolm was introduced after being jailed. Also, Malcolm was introduced to the ideology that Christianity was a religion coined by the whites to exert superiority over the blacks. Therefore, the experience in prison was crucial in creating an activist who would eventually change the face of activism in America. Moreover, the ideological separation between Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad formed the climax of Malcolm’s heroism.
The relationship between Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad was based on the belief that the blacks deserved to be treated better. Generally, the reference of the blacks as Negroes by the whites was seen as a move that presented the blacks as inferior beings. Malcolm and Muhammad preferred that blacks should either be referred to as blacks or African-Americans. However, Malcolm’s confidence was growing beyond the strength of the Nation of Islam and the opinions presented by Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm X did not believe in taking a sideline position in the war against inequality (DeWitt, 2019). Generally, Malcolm X believed that active activism was required to put the whites on toes and to make the interests of the blacks felt. The confidence that Malcolm had learned in prison was essential in giving him the strength that he needed to spread his ideas to Africa. Eventually, Malcolm broke off from his mentor’s organization and inspired the creation of the Black Power Movement that has remained to be the reference for racial pride and self-sufficiency.
In sum, the life of Malcolm X took a turn after his arrest. The activities in prison were sufficient to have him take the direction that was preached by Elijah Muhammad. Dropping out of school introduced Malcolm into crime and was later arrested and jailed a sentence that introduced him to his transformation journey. Malcolm X has remained a hero even after his death, and his ideologies have been essential in the advocacy for equality. Generally, the prison sentence was the major turning point to Malcolm’s life and can be associated to his heroism.
Reference
DeWitt, J. B. (2019). Fighting for Freedom: A Sociological Study of Violent versus Nonviolent Forms of Social Movement as Reflected in the Writings of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King.
Hart, W. D. (2016). Malcolm X as Religious Peripatetic. Malcolm X: From Political Eschatology to Religious Revolutionary, 5.
Malcolm, X. (2015). The autobiography of Malcolm X. Ballantine Books.