Biography of Malcom X also known as Malcom Little
Biography of Malcom X also known as Malcom Little
On May 19, 1925 a man was born in Omaha, Nebraska. This man was named Malcolm Little. He was born to Earl Little, a Baptist preacher, and his wife Louis. Earl was major advocate and speaker for Black Rights and had to move around a lot when Malcolm was a child because of death threats. They eventually had to move to Milwaukee and then later to Lansing, Michigan. In 1929 the Little’s house was burnt to the ground, and in 1931 Malcolm's father Earl was found dead on some trolley tracks. Both were ruled accidents but a white supremacist group named Black Legion was alleged to be behind both attacks. Several years later his mother Louis would suffer a nervous breakdown and was committed to a mental institution. Malcolm would then spend the rest of his childhood in and out of foster homes in Michigan.
Despite a troubled childhood Malcolm would be a very focused and dedicated student and throughout junior high would be at the top of his class. He even had dreams of one day becoming a lawyer. This all changed one day when one of his favorite teachers in junior high would actually tell Malcolm that was"no realistic goal for a nigger." Malcolm would later drop out of school at the age of fifteen and moved to Boston to live with his half-sister.
While in Boston, Malcolm had many odd jobs and became familiar with the underworld. He later moved to Harlem and made a name for himself as a drug dealer and regular hoodlum performing a myriad of petty and major crimes. His nickname on the streets became Detroit Red. He was in charge of gambling, prostitution, and even narcotic rings while in New York. In 1949 after moving back to Boston Malcolm was arrested and convicted of burglary and was sentenced to seven years in prison.
While in prison Malcolm used his time to further educate himself. He learned from his brother Reginald of a Muslim organization called the Nation of Islam. Malcolm decided to read and study the Nation of Islam and its leader Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm Little entered the prison in 1946 and in 1952 he left the prison as Malcolm X. He then moved to Detroit to become...