As we pause to commemorate the birth and life of Malcolm Little, a/k/a Malcolm X, a/k/a El Hajj Malik El Shabazz, we have to keep in mind he was a complex man of great intellect, integrity, and courage who changed and modified his positions on issues but never his love of Black people and his desire to see us free.
Malcolm Little was born on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska, the son of Earl and Louise Little. The family later moved to Lansing, Michigan, where his father a Baptist minister and ardent supporter of the Pan-African leader from Jamaica, Marcus Garvey, was killed when he was hit by a streetcar. Rev. Little’s death, many suspected it was murder due to his Black nationalist organizing and activism, plunged the family into trauma and poverty. The stress caused his mother to have a nervous breakdown. She was subsequently committed to a mental asylum; Malcolm and his siblings were split up and sent to foster homes or to live with family members.
Malcolm was extremely bright, but he was discouraged by white teachers and subsequently dropped out of school. Malcolm got into difficulty in Michigan and was sent to a juvenile detention center. Upon release, he moved to Boston to live with his older half-sister from his father’s first marriage. In Boston, Malcolm took to street life, engaging in petty crimes, robbery, gambling, and drugs. Eventually, he was arrested, convicted, and sent to prison. Correspondence with several of his siblings who were members of the Nation of Islam under the leadership of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad led Malcolm to eventually convert and join the organization.
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