Summary Of Malcolm X Assassination

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Over the course of history, there have been several books written on the life of Malcolm X. In Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, Manning Marable explores the transformation of Malcolm X from his street hustling days to an NOI member and finally to a magnetic activist whose life was tragically cut short. According to the evidence put forth in Marable’s book, there were several factors that contributed to his assassination starting with his departure from the Nation of Islam, establishment of the Muslim Mosque Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity, and terminating with his feud with the Nation of Islam.
The events that occurred between 1962 and 1963 caused Malcolm X to reevaluate his relationship with the NOI and ultimately split …show more content…

A couple of his former NOI colleagues condemned him as a traitor for publicly criticizing Elijah Muhammad. Louis X, one of Malcolm’s former friends, wrote in Muhammed Speaks “The die is set, and Malcolm shall not escape, especially after such evil, foolish talk. Such man as Malcolm is worthy of death” (Marable 398). This was a call to arms within the sect. It wasn’t long before other ministers in the Nation were also making incendiary speeches about Malcolm. Another conflict Malcolm had with the Nation was regarding his home in Elmhurst, Queens. The Nation of Islam attempted to evict Malcolm from the home by bringing an eviction case against him. In court, Malcolm once more publically mentioned that the reason for his suspension was because “the Honorable Elijah Muhammed had taken on nine wives besides the one that he had…” (Marable 347). This only helped to make matters worse between the two groups. On February 13, 1965 Malcolm had “submitted to the Queens court a request for a “show cause” order aimed at staying his family’s scheduled eviction” (Marable 415). The next day Malcolm’s home was firebombed; although he and his family escaped unharmed, the perpetrators were never caught. Malcolm had reached a point where he wasn’t safe anywhere he went. The legal suit that Evelyn Williams and Lucille Rosary had filed against Elijah Muhammed, made the death threats against Malcolm seem as if they were now coming from everywhere (Marable