Remembering Malcolm X

Forty-eight years ago today, America lost one of it's strongest voices for civil rights with the death of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, better known as Malcolm X. He was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. Throughout his childhood, Malcolm's family would relocate to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and later to Lansing, Michigan. After the death of his father, Malcolm's mother was institutionalized when Malcolm was just thirteen. Due to the difficult circumstances involving his mother and father, Malcolm was sent to live in a number of different foster homes during his formative years. He was an excellent student with a brilliant mind, but dropped out of school after a white teacher told Malcolm that becoming a lawyer was "no realistic goal for a nigger." Malcolm soon came to believe that American society in the 1930's and 1940's offered no real possibilities for a young black man like himself. As a result, Malcolm moved to Boston, and then Harlem where he became involved in a life of crime that included drug dealing, gambling, and robbery. Due to his involvement in these activities, Malcolm was sentenced to eight to ten years in the Charlestown State Prison. It was during his time in prison that Malcolm was introduced to the teachings of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. Malcolm rose quickly through the ranks of the Nation, and was named a national minister for the organization. During his time as a minister for the Nation of Islam, Malcolm was seen as a controversial figure due to his outspoken nature and his message of black separatism. One of Malcolm's more controversial remarks surrounded the assassination of President Kennedy when Malcolm said that Kennedy's death was like the "chickens coming home to roost." For these remarks, Malcolm was silenced for ninety days by the Nation of Islam. During his silencing, Malcolm was not allowed to make any comments to the press or make any speeches at the Nation's temples. In 1964, after a falling-out with Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam, Malcolm broke all ties with the organization. It was in this same year that Malcolm made his Hajj (pilgrimage) to the holy city of Mecca. Malcolm's pilgrimage was truly a transformational moment for him. His views toward race relations in America changed forever when he noticed blond-haired blue-eyed Muslims interacting as equals with black-skinned African Muslims like himself. Malcolm truly believed that if it could work in Mecca, why not in the United States? Malcolm spent much of the rest of 1964 traveling the world spreading his message. Upon his return to the United States, Malcolm formed the Muslim Mosque Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity to promote a more racially harmonious message. The one and only meeting between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. occurred in 1964 as well. The two civil rights icons briefly encountered one another outside of the U.S. Senate after listening to debates on the historic civil rights bill. Malcolm's life came to a tragic end on February 21st, 1965. As Malcolm took to the podium in the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan, New York to address a meeting of the Organization of Afro-American Unity, shots rang out killing the famed civil rights leader almost instantly. As we honor and celebrate the achievements of many African-Americans during Black History Month, may we never forget the lasting contributions of the one whom many refer to as one of the greatest and most influential African-Americans in United States history.