Saeed

2/23/09

6^THhour

Malcolm X

During his life, Malcolm went from being a young street-wise Boston hoodlum to becoming one of the most famous Black Nationalist leaders in the United States, and when murdered, became a champion of equality, and was considered to be a black prince.

Early Life

Malcolm X was born in Omaha, Nebraska at the age of 13, his father died and his mother was sent to a mental hospital. After living in a lot of foster homes, Malcolm X got involved in the criminal underworld in Boston and New York. In 1945, Malcolm X was sent to 8-10 years in prison.

Family

His dad Earl Little had three children before he married Malcolm X's mom. His children from his first marriage were named Ella, Mary, and Earl, Jr. Then he married Louise Little. His second marriage gave him 7 more kids Malcolm was the 4^th child. His children's names were, Wilfred, Hilda, Philbert, Malcolm, Reginald, Yvonne, and Wesley. After Earl Little's death Louise had her youngest son an unnamed man named him Robert Little.

Young Adult Years

In Malcolm's young adult years he had a variety of jobs; For example, one job he had was a shoe shiner at a Lindy hop nightclub. He became involved in criminal activities such as drug dealing, gambling, racketeering, and steering prostitution. When Malcolm X returned from Detroit to Boston he started to rob the residents of rich white families. Malcolm was arrested for burglary, trying to pick up a stolen watch he had left for repairs at a jewelry shop. The owner called the police because he thought the watch was too expensive for an average Roxbury resident. Malcolm was arrested for 8-10 years for larceny and breaking and entering.

Nation of Islam

After his release from prison he joined the nation of Islam and became an African American Muslim. He went to visit Elijah Muhammad in Chicago, Illinois. Then like all members of the Nation of Islam he changed his surname to "X."

Marriage

In 1958, Malcolm X married Betty X (nee sanders) in Lansing MI. They too had been friends for about a year, although Betty X suspected that he was interested in marriage. Then he asked her to marry him. The couple had six daughters. Their names were Attallah (1958), Qubilah (1960), Ilyasah (1962), Gamilah Lumumba (1964) and Malaak and Malikah (1965).

Pilgrimage to Mecca

On April 1964, Malcolm left JFK airport in New York for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to Mecca. Saudi authorities questioned him because they thought he wasn't a Muslim. Only Muslims are allowed in Mecca. On April 19 Malcolm X completed the Hajj he made seven circuits around the Kaba, drinking ZamZam water, and running between the hills of Safa and Marawh seven times.

In the United States

Tensions increased between Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam because Malcolm X had found out that Elijah Muhammad was a liar. He had been telling Malcolm that he was a prophet but really wasn't he just wanted the money. On February 1964, a member of Temple Number Seven had been told to by the Nation of Islam to wire explosives to Malcolm X's car. On March 20, 1964, a magazine publisher had published a photograph of Malcolm X holding an M1 Carbine and peering out a window. The picture was to show that he was determined to defend himself and his family against the death threats that he has gotten. On June 1964, the Nation of Islam sued to get back Malcolm X's house in Queens, New York, which they said they owned. The suit was successful, and Malcolm X was told to leave. On February 14, 1965, the night before the hearing to stop the eviction date, the house burned to the ground. Malcolm X and his family survived. No one was charged with any crime.

Assassination

On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was speaking in a meeting of the Organization of Afro-American Unity when someone started to yell out in the crowd of 400. A man yelled, "Nigger! Get your hand out of my pocket!” Malcolm X and his bodyguards moved to quiet the man; another man rushed forward and shot Malcolm X in the chest with a sawed-off shotgun twice. Two other men ran up to the stage and fired handguns, hitting him 16 times in front of his wife and 4 children. Angry witness caught and beat up one of the assassins but the others ran away. Malcolm X was said to be dead shortly after he arrived at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.

Funeral

The number of mourners who came to the public viewing in Harlem's Unity Funeral Home from February 23 through February 26 was estimated to be between 14,000 and 30,000. The funeral of Malcolm X was held on February 27 at the Faith Temple, in Harlem. The Church was filled to as much as it could hold with more than 1,000 people. Loudspeakers were set up outside the Temple so the overflow crowd could listen and a local television station broadcast the funeral live. Malcolm X was buried at Fern cliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. At the gravesite after the ceremony, friends took the shovels away from the gravediggers and completed the burial themselves.

Work cited page

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Malcolm_X&oldid=269886387>.

http://www.africawithin.com/malcolmx/malcolm_bio.htm

http://www.malcolm-x.org/

Book: The Autobiography of Malcolm X

 By; Malcolm X, Alex