Malcom+X

**Mentor Elijah Muhammad** In Detriot, a once-obscure black nationalist group, the Nation of Islam, gained new prominence. Founded in 1931 by Elijah Poole (who converted to Islam and renamed himself Elijah Muhammad), the movement taught blacks to take responsibility for their own lives, to live by strict codes of behavior, and to reject any dependence on whites. Seeking a new cultural identity based on Africa and Islam, the Black Muslim leader Elijah Muhammad preached black nationalism, separatism, and self-improvement.

**Applying Elijah's Teachings: Introduction** Influenced by his movement, prisonner Malcolm Little converted and adopted the name Malcolm X. Leaving prison in 1952, Malcolm X acquired a reputation as the movement's most controversial voice and as the most celebrated of the Black Muslims. He criticized Martin Luther King, Jr. as "Uncle Tom" (subservient to whites). Malcolm also advocated self-defense, or the use of black violence to counter white violence. He argued for a harsh, uncompromising opposition to all forms of racism and oppression, and eventually left the Black Muslims to found a more conciliatory Organization of Afro-American Unity. Before he could pursue his ideas, Malcolm X was assassinated by black opponents in 1965 in New York.

'The Autobiography of Malcolm X' remains an engaging testimony to one man's development from a petty criminal into a major leader. Over time, he became one of the most influential figures in black America. Years after his death, he was to may African Americans as important and revered a symbol as Martin Luther King, Jr. Interesting sidenote: The New York TImes called Malcolm X's autobiography "an eloquent statement."

The radicalism of Malcolm X influenced young blacks in the civil rights organizations such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Congress of Racial Equality. Stokely Carmichael, chairman of SNCC, repudiated nonviolence and pursued "black power and racial separatism." In 1966, militants organized the Black Panthers as a revolutionary socialist movement advocating self-rule for American blacks.

Malcolm Little's first bump was in 1929, when the family's house was set on fire by a suspected white supremacist group. Just two years later, father Earl Little was run over and killed by a streetcar. Matters only worsened when Malcolm's mother was committed to a psychiatric ward early in 1939. After announcing his desires to become a lawyer, Malcolm's dreams were crushed; his favorite teacher told him that a lawyer "was not a realistic goal for a nigger." As a young adult, Malcolm transferred from foster home to foster home, experiementing with many diverse jobs.
 * A Rough Childhood**

The third time that Malcolm was sent to jail, he met Bambi, a follower of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. After an early release from prison in 1952, Malcolm travelled between Illonios and Michigan as a minister.
 * A Revalation**

Malcolm X's began his climb to fame in 1959. Below is a summarized timeline of significant events that Malcolm X accomplished upto the year of his murder: 1959: Speaks at NOI meeting in New York five times. Travels as Elijah Muhammad's ambassador to Holland, Egypt, Mecca, Iran, Syria, and Ghana. 1960: Speaks with Fidel Castro in Harlem. Spoke at a street rally in honor of the President of Ghana. 1961: Met with Ku Klux Klan officials to solicit aid in obtaining land. Held demonstrations in front of the United Nations. Spoke at Harvard Law School, the National Memorial Book Store, a street meeting sponsored by the Emergency Committee for Unity and Economic Problems. Appeared on the NBC TV program, 'Open Mind.' 1963: Speaks and leads demonstrations in New York, North Carolina, Harlem, Arizona, and at a radio station. 1965: Speaks at the OAAU rally four times. Travels to speak at Alabama, Brown's Chapel AME, London, Paris, Geneva, and New York. He lands a segment on WINS radio, which led to his speech at Columbia University.
 * On a Roll!**

Malcolm Little was shot by African-American Talmadge Hayer, and was dead by the time he arrived at Vanderbilt Clinic.

AMSCO: Page 601 A Survey of American History: Page 832 []
 * Bibliography**