From the wave of ongoing hatred during the early to mid 20th
century, it was only a matter of time before an influential African American
leader emerged that was not satisfied with mere social integration. That influential leader was Malcolm X. Malcolm was born in Omaha and raised in the
ghetto. His father was killed by the
Black Legion (a white supremacist group) and his mother was institutionalized
after she had a nervous breakdown. Unable
to escape the influences of ghetto life, Malcolm started pushing drugs and
became addicted to cocaine. He embraced
a life of crime until he was caught and sentenced to prison in 1946. While in prison, he discovered and studied
the works of Nation of Islam (NOI) leader Elijah Muhammad, and by the time of
his release in 1952 he was a devout Muslim and follower of the NOI. The NOI supported the notion that whites
actively made an effort to keep African Americans in poverty, and that African
Americans needed to separate themselves from whites in order to be free. Freed from prison, Malcolm X became a firm
social activist that preached revolution.
He was perhaps one of the most controversial figures of the time, since
he was not only fighting for the African American, but also Muslim Americans. He incited a fighting spirit in black
communities everywhere, and black militant groups often cited him as a source
of their inspiration. Malcolm was a
media magnet during the 60s, and was considered the NOI’s most valuable
asset. Even after his assassination in
1965, the unrest that Malcolm created was still very much stirring in the heart
and minds of African Americans.
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