“What I am trying to say is that it never dawned upon them that I could understand, that I wasn’t a pet, but a human being…. Even though they appeared to have opened the door, it was still closed (Chapter: Mascot, Page 28).”
The ‘Autobiography of Malcolm X’, compiled by Alex Haley, is the memoir of a human rights activist. Also known as Malik el-Shabazz, Malcolm was an African-American who helped black citizens regain their dignity and their rights across the globe. Even though slavery had been abolished by former US presidents, the black communities had still not received the status of being equal to the white Americans. Malcolm despised how his race was treated, therefore, he took the duty upon himself to become a beacon of hope for the black people. Liberation was his only goal.
Malcolm X spent his childhood with his parents and siblings in Lansing. When he was only 6, his father was brutally murdered by white extremists, who called themselves the Black Legion. Grief over her husband, exorbitant bills, insurance companies that would not pay, and with 8 children to raise, his mother was admitted to an asylum after a mental breakdown. Malcolm then got involved in petty burglaries after being shifted around several foster homes and reform schools.
Once Malcolm turned 16, he moved to Boston and then to New York where he got addicted to the thrill of hustling (selling drugs), burglaries and marijuana consumption. His luck ran out in 1946 when he got arrested while giving a stolen watch to a shop for repairs. Hence, Malcolm was sentenced to 8 to 10 years of prison on the charges of larceny.
Prison time was the turning point of Malcolm’s crime-filled life. His inmate, Bembry, gave him an insatiable hunger for reading such that he felt ‘truly free’ in the prison itself. Malcolm studied books and religions until he eventually started to communicate with the NOI, Nation of Islam, a religious movement that was uniting and instilling self-belief in the black Americans. Malcolm got free from prison two years early because of the pivotal change in his personality.
Elijah Muhammad, the leader of NOI, became a close friend and Malcolm rapidly rose the ranks until he became second in command. However, their relationship fractured because Elijah wanted to integrate peacefully into the white society to gain their respect. On the other hand, Malcolm was a firm believer that the only way Black Americans could earn their respect was by having country-wide protests. After publicly mortifying the state by saying “chickens coming home to roost” after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Elijah sentenced Malcolm to 90 days of silence.
The relationship between both leaders never improved. Malcolm had made the NOI, the Christians, and the FBI his enemies because of his extreme ideologies, his global trip to visit Islamic states, and his support that was growing exponentially. Eventually, his enemies
became hostile. Malcolm started receiving death threats until February 21, 1965, when he was shot down with 21 bullets by three members of the Nation of Islam.
With over 9 million copies of the book sold worldwide, Malcolm X was able to shape the future of black nationalism – integration and acceptance of privileges for the white would never work. He was not apologetic about his critique of white racism and privileges, according to experts in African-American studies.
Malcolm was able to immortalize himself through his words and actions. One of his most renowned works was forming an Islamic organization called Muslim Mosque Inc. He was also the founder of a newspaper agency called Muslim Speaks. He was successful in influencing hundreds of thousands of people during his lifetime and then millions of people after his death. With Malcolm X in the North and Martin Luther King in the South, the American mindsets evolved towards prosperity.
It is essential to analyse the death of Malcolm X. Malcolm did not die at the hands of his enemies. Instead, he was brutally betrayed by his own friends. When Malcolm refused to cover up Elijah’s scandals of manipulating Muslims to gain support, Elijah alienated him. Elijah sought revenge, not because of clashing ideals but because Malcolm started to doubt Elijah’s leadership while distancing himself from him. It is also possible that the NOI, under Elijah’s command, teamed up with the FBI against Malcolm to end him.
This shows that politics is a very dirty sport that eventually demolished Malcolm’s wholehearted efforts to bring peace among the very race his enemies belonged to. Elijah could have continued with his ideals regarding Black Liberation on peaceful terms, but instead, he sought revenge.
Malcolm X: “Anyone who is depriving you of freedom isn’t deserving of a peaceful approach by the ones who are being deprived of their freedom.”
Do you agree?pic.twitter.com/HxkqVtytmM
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Furthermore, the importance of preserving Malcolm’s life in a book must be emphasized. The timeline shared in the autobiography gives troubled individuals an actual example of how they can redeem themselves. Malcolm turned from a low-life burglar and an addict into an individual who had a revolutionizing impact on the whole world.
Secondly, Malcolm showed the true nature of Islam to all his followers. His love for books and his religion provided him the basis to transform his life and all his followers’ lives. If people follow in his footsteps, they can do wonders by only reading books and implementing their lessons. Even Malcolm X accredited books by calling them his alma mater.
Malcolm X’s dreams were cut short when his body was obliterated by the machine guns. However, Malcolm defied death. His demise did not stop him from achieving his goals. He was successful in liberating the minds of the Black American citizens and etching their value into each and every denier – to open the door that was in fact closed.
