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Father Killed by White Supremacists
When Malcolm was only six years old his father Earl was killed in a "street car accident". His mother and many others were sure that the real cause of Earl's death was being murdered by the "Black Legion", a white racist group. Many people believe this since the Little's often received threats from this group, having to relocate more than once. The death of Malcolm's father sparked his revolutionary ideas of change at an early age. -
English Teacher Put-Down
Malcolm Little excelled in junior high, making really good grades and becoming the president of his class. Unfortunately, he dropped out after one of his white teachers told him being a lawyer wasn't a white persons job. This caused Malcolm to grow a distaste towards whites, and come to realize how unequal blacks and whites really were. -
Becomes a Minister
After coming out of parole in 1952, Malcolm became a minister for numerous different Islamic temples. He established Boston's Temple #11 and expanded Temple #12 in Philadelphia. He was also selected to run Temple #7 in Harlem. During his early years of being a minister, Malcolm revolutionized the Islamic religion and gained up to 29,500 members, speaking out in newspaper columns, on the radio and on TV about the Nation of Islam's message. -
Hinton Johnson Incident
Hinton Johnson, a member of NOI, saw police officers beating a black man. When he tried to intervene, one of the officers turned on Johnson and beat him so badly that he suffered from brain contusions. When Malcolm X heard about this he went to the police station and demanded to see Johnson. Eventually the crowd grew to about 500 and the police surrendered, allowing Johnson to be taken to the hospital by an ambulance. It was unheard of to demand something from the police as a black man. -
Meets with Several Nations
In 1960, Malcolm X was invited to the functions of several different African nations such as; Egypt, Sudan, Nigeria, UAR and the Middle East. Here he met with their leaders, and also with Fidel Castro. Castro was impressed with Malcolm X, and after talking invited him back to Cuba. By doing this, Malcolm wasn't only spreading his Islamic ideas across the nation, but across the world. -
MLK and Malcolm X Differences
Malcolm X and MLK's protest styles differed greatly. They often criticized each other; Malcolm X saying that MLK is too peaceful, and MLK saying Malcolm X led a "destructive demagoguery". Malcolm X even said that the March on Washington wasn't helpful or making any differences. -
Malcolm's Beliefs
In the early 60's, Malcolm was at the peak of his preachings. He had a great influence on his followers and transformed their way of thinking about segregation, and their culture in general. He urged them to defend themselves "by any means necessary". He often critiqued the word "negro", and influenced the creation of Black Power and other black conscious movements in the United States. Also, through his influence in the NOI he was able to change "colored" to "Afro-American" and "black". -
Leaves the NOI
Malcolm X refused to help his mentor Muhammad cover up his affairs and subsequent children in 1963. He was deeply hurt by this discovery, since he had previously believed he was a living prophet. He was also later "silenced" by Muhammad for speaking out about Kennedy's death. In March, 1964 he decided he had had enough and left the NOI. Malcolm X's action were revolutionary because he completely left his religion because they went against his morals. He later founded the Muslim Mosque Inc. -
Mecca
In 1964, Malcolm X went on a pilgrimage to Mecca. It turned out to be completely life-altering for him. For the first time, he shared his thoughts with different cultures and found the outcome to be very positive. When he returned he no longer had a dislike towards all whites. He returned to the US with new ideas, preaching not only to African Americans but to everyone. Malcolm X revolutionized his way of thinking as well as his followers after his pilgrimage to Mecca. -
Death
At a speaking engagement at Manhattan’s Audubon Ballroom on February 21, 1965, three gunmen in the NOI rushed Malcolm onstage. They shot him 15 times at close range. He was pronounced dead on arrival at New York’s Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. Fifteen hundred people attended Malcolm’s funeral in Harlem. The reaction to his death proved how much of an impact he had on the US. Malcolm X will always be remembered as a revolutionary.
