Black Power

Malcolm Little, also known as Malcolm X, was an African American Muslim pastor and human rights activist. He was a brave advocate for the rights of African Americans. Many accused him of preaching racism and violence, even so, he has been called one of the greatest and most influential African Americans of all time.

Malcolm X was born May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska. He is the fourth child  of seven siblings. His father, Earl Little, was a leader of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). His mother, Louise Helen Little, was a secretary and branch reporter who sent the news from UNIA to the black community.

Unfortunately, a chain of events happened which caused his father to die in a car accident and his mother to be sent to a mental hospital. Malcolm X and his siblings were sent to foster care and they moved to several different houses.

Once Malcolm X got out of foster care at 18, he engaging in drug dealing, gambling, robbery, and pimping. In 1946, Malcolm X was arrested for picking up a stolen watch and taking it to get repairs. In February that year, he began serving 8-10 year sentence at Charlestown State Prison for larceny and breaking and entering.

While he was in prison, he became part of Nation of Islam (African American political and religious movement). The group preached black self-reliance to the return of Africa where they would be free from white America.

During 1950 Malcolm began signing his name to Malcolm X. He explained that’s the muslim “X” symbolized the true African family name that he could never know.

“For me, my ‘X’  replaced the white slavemaster name of ‘Little’ which some blue-eyed devil named Little has imposed upon my paternal forebears,” said Malcom X.

By the 1960’s Malcolm X had gotten tired of nonviolent movements. He got scared with the thought of the African Americans losing the power of their own civil rights movement according to Shmoop’s web page on Malcom X. In February 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated by members of the Nation of Islam.

Even in death, his memory lives on and he is well-known for his involvement in the civil rights movement and black power organizations.

Information above is from the Teachers’ Curriculum Institute unless otherwise noted.