During the civil rights movement of the fifties and sixties Malcolm X became one of the most outspoken and often volatile spokesperson for the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X, unlike his counterpart Martin Luther King Jr. who was fighting to stop segregation, believed in a separatist society condemning and accusing the white population of suppressing the black communities by denying access to education and other publicly funded resources.
After a pilgrimage to the holy land Malcolm X changed his name and became known by his Islamic name Malik El-Shabazz, and became a nonviolent activist who created organizations to better the black communities.
Malcolm Little was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1925, to parents Louise and Earl Little. Malcolm’s
…show more content…
It was while serving his sentence in a Massachusetts State Prison located in Charlestown, Malcolm joined the Black Muslims. Malcolm took advantage of his time in prison and decided to educate himself and began reading books related to science, philosophy, and history and once said “Months passed without my even thinking about being imprisoned. In fact, up to then, I had never been so truly free in my life.” Through his siblings Malcolm was introduced to the writings and teachings of Elijah Muhammad who at the time was the leader of the Black Muslims and became drawn to the outspoken black …show more content…
By the early 1960’s the Black Muslims/Nation of Islam membership had grown significantly and Malcolm X continued to be the face of the activist group. According to a New York Times article in 1963, Malcolm X was the second most sought after speaker in the United States and in June of the same year lead the Unity Rally in Harlem. After his speech “God’s Judgment of White America,”(The Chickens Come Home to Roost) where Malcolm in response to a question regarding the recent assassination of President John F Kennedy stated that the President’s death is a direct result of “chickens coming home to roost”. He made this statement based on his personal belief that President Kennedy had done nothing to stop the violence against blacks in the United States. Because of these remarks Elijah Muhammad suspended Malcolm X from speaking as a representative of the Black Muslims/Nation of Islam. Soon after the suspension Malcolm X announced he would be leaving the Nation of Islam and would begin the work to develop two new organizations: Muslim Mosque, Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American