Malcolm X was born to be a leader. Malcolm was born during the height of segregation of African-Americans in America. Malcolm X’s leadership helped African-Americans gain the freedom they enjoy today. Malcolm Little, Malcolm X’s birth name, was born on May 19, 1925 to a homemaker, Louise Norton Little, and Baptist Minister, Earl Little. Earl Little’s civil right activism made the Littles the target of death threats from Black Legion, a white supremacist organization. In 1929, Black Legion burned the house in Michigan where Malcolm and his family lived in. Two year later, Earl Little was found dead on trolley tracks. Although police ruled Earl’s death an accident, the Littles believed the Black Legion were responsible. Growing up in a time where racism and segregation were prominent, especially to African-Americans, Malcolm had to become a leader in order to receive justice.
Malcolm’s charisma, integrity, and conviction inspired a whole country to make a change. According to James Kouzes and Barry Posner,
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Most African-Americans dreamt a society with equal right for every citizen but lacked the motivation to act on their vision. Malcolm X was able to use his charisma to inspire African-Americans to make a change. Malcolm’s enemies were also attracted to his charisma, which led to debates about race and segregation.
Charismatic leaders are dominant and exceptionally self-confident and have a strong conviction in the moral righteousness of their belief. Malcolm’s charisma helped the NOI, a religious organization led by Elijah Muhammad, attract an astounding number of new members. “Malcolm was largely credited with increasing membership in the NOI from 500 in 1952 to 30,000 in 1963. Malcolm X became a media magnet after appearing in a weeklong television special with Mike Wallace in 1959. Malcolm’s charisma even grabbed the attention of the