Malcolm X: The Man with the Alternative Option

Victoria Marial, Staff Writer|February 23, 2022

Whom do you think of when the Civil Rights Movement comes to mind – MLK, Rosa Parks, or Roy Wilkins? One activist who sets himself apart from the rest is Malcolm X. Known for his courageous acts, Malcolm X was a leader to African Americans everywhere, someone whom we are still able to look to in black history and see the influence even today. Malcolm X advocated for the “Self defense and liberation for African Americans by any means necessary” (Martin). He showed African Americans that they should no longer sit in silence and protect themselves from the racism and injustices that they face every day. His speeches and ideas contributed to black nationalism and the Civil Rights Movement (Martin).

Malcolm X was born with the name Malcolm Little, in Omaha, Nebraska on May 19th, 1925. While growing up, he lived in different reform schools and foster homes because his father was believed to have been killed by a white supremacist group, and his mother was institutionalized (Martin). Although he decided to leave school in the 8th grade, he didn’t really struggle academically; the only reason for his leaving is that one of his teachers told him that he couldn’t be a lawyer (Mamiya). Things went downhill after his decision to leave. He began to sell drugs and commit burglaries, for which he was sentenced to prison when he was 21 (History.com).

During his sentence, Malcolm X joined the Nation of Islam (NOI), an organization in which he was able to listen to Elijah Muhammad (Martin). His decision to join was based on his brother Reginald who was also serving a prison sentence (Mamiya).

When Malcolm X was released he began to follow the restrictions prescribed by the NOI, such as not eating pork, quitting gambling, and refraining from smoking (Mamiya). The NOI truly made an impact on Malcolm X; all of the choices he made to become the person he was is a direct result of this association. In fact, Malcolm X also changed his last name to “X” because it is a tradition in the NOI to change it (Maiyma). They would do this because when people were allowed to have slaves in the U.S. if you were owned by someone you would become their property and therefore inherit their last name. So by changing his last name, he rejected his slave name.

Malcolm X got his start by becoming a minister in a Mosque in Harlem where he gave sermons advocating for self-defense. The sermons started to gain popularity, as a result, the NOI grew from 400 members in 1952 to 40,000 in 1960 (History.com). He then became the minister of masque NO. 11 in Harlem which was “the largest and most prestigious temple in the nation…” (Maiyma).

Along with being a minister, Malcolm X also voiced his opinions during the Civil Rights Movement from Harlem all the way to major universities (Maiyma). The Civil Rights Act of 1964 Senate debate was the first time Malcolm X met Martin Luther King Jr. (Martin). There was a big difference between the two leaders’ advocacy for equal rights. As MLK would advocate for a nonviolent integration between people, while Malcolm X maintained that African Americans should stand up for themselves and the rights they deserved by any means. That was the first and only time the two ever met each other (Martin).

In 1964 Malcolm X set out to create bonds with other black activists who were like him and started an organization called the Organization of African American Unity (Martin). In 1965 when MLK was incarcerated in Selma, Alabama, Malcolm X decided to travel there (Martin). While there he had a had a conversation with MLK’s wife Coretta and said to her, “I didn’t come to Selma to make his job difficult. I really did think I could come to make his life easier if the white people realize what the alternative is. Perhaps they will be more willing to hear Dr. King” (Martin). Malcolm X wanted to come down to Selma to show that what MLK was doing was reasonable and wasn’t asking for anything but peace. If his philosophy was not accepted by white America, they would have to deal with the other option of protesting and Malcolm X’s “by any means necessary” approach.

Tragically, A few weeks after Malcolm X’s trip to Selma he was assassinated. He was in New York City, and while he was at the Audubon Ballroom where the OAAU would usually meet, he was gunned down right in front of his pregnant wife and two daughters (Philipson). The men who murdered him were also members of the NOI. Apparently, there had been growing tension between Malcolm X and the leader of the NOI, Elijah Muhammad, which resulted in Malcolm X receiving death threats from the group (Mayima). Mujahid Abdul Halim, Muhammad A. Aziz and Khalil Islam were the men that killed him (History.com). All three men were sentenced for a prison term of 20 years to life.

When thinking of Malcom X, imagine someone who inspires, cares, and advocates for his people. He knew that in order to get the results that he wanted, he had to act in his moment, so he did. He showed others that not only should they not sit in silence and be treated as if they were less than others, but also that they should show courage and fight through every adversity they face. Though he is gone, the impact he made on us will never be forgotten.

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