Malcolm X

His real name is Malcolm Little. He was born on the 19th May 1925 to his father Rev. Earl Little and mother Louise Little. His father was popular for his strong support to Marcus Garvey, the leader of the Black Nationalist. The reverend died when Malcolm was six years old after he was hit by a car on the streets. It is believed that it was murder organized by the whites. Earl had a large family and his wife had to step up and take the responsibility of feeding the eight children that were left behind. She had to gather dandelion greens from the streets so as to cook and feed the children. The burden was too much for her. In 1939, she was taken to an insane asylum. Malcolm together with the rest of his family had to move to a foster home and were taken in by the family members. Malcolm went to school but was only lucky to reach the eighth grade. His school life was cut short after one of his teachers challenged him to drop out of school and become a carpenter. Malcolm’s dream of becoming a lawyer was shattered.

His conversion

After dropping out of school, Malcolm went to Boston to live with his half sister born to his father in his first marriage. While there, they were involved in pretty crimes with his friend Jarvis. They were arrested and charged. Malcolm got a ten years term. While in prison he started to enlighten himself. He would spend most of his time in books. He also sharpened his speech skills by participating in debates. While still in jail, he decided to get converted to Muslim. He left habits like smoking and gambling that were not in line with Islam. His brother Reginald would visit him and have lengthy conversations with him about his conversion. Malcolm then changed his name and replaced Little with X. This was as per the requirement of his new religion. They were not supposed to use any name that had its roots in slavery.

Life after prison

After serving seven years in prison, Malcolm was pardoned. He left prison and embarked on helping in leading the National. He set up temples in Philadelphia, New York and Boston. He was made a minister in Boston and would sometimes serve in Chicago’s temple which was the most prestigious temple. Malcolm went and founded a newspaper that was known as Muhammad Special. The paper was sold to raise funds and also as a recruitment strategy.