Malcolm X refuse to adopt his father’s last name Little because he was rejecting the slave name. He felt that that he did not have the proper last name that belong to ancestors from Africa. He felt that Little was a slave owner master name and that does not belong to him. Being a slave and taking their last name meant that you were their property. He was nobody property , so he decided to change his last name to X. X represent the unknown name of his African ancestor and their culture which was stole during slavery. Malcolm X wanted show his respect to his ancestors and showed his love for his African heritage.
It shows us that African Americans are proud of their heritage. With Malcolm X letting go off his last name showed that he loves
Malcolm X was a strong advocate for the right of African Americans and can be considered one of Americas most influential people of the 1960’s followed be Dr. Martin Luther King. Malcolm X was born in a large family and has to move to place to place because of the “back to Africa” movement. This event will leads his father to be murdered and was thrown on the train track to make it look like an accident caused him to have a hate rid toward white people. Even though Malcolm X was an excellent student in schools, but because of the racial tension between him in the white teacher often showed Malcolm X with discouragement. Because for the discouragement that he would receive during school Malcolm X would drop out of school and seek out crime gaining respect on the streets. Malcolm X wanted to join the military, but was turned down because his he believed. After being turned down form school and the military Malcolm would commit grand larceny and will be sentenced to prison. In prison is where he would meet an intellectual by the name of Bembry who would inspire him to educate himself and become notorious “Malcolm X”. Upon meeting Bembry and developing has mind, he would also developed his spirtualality by devoting his life to the Nation of Islam (NOI). After he left the prison, he would create his legacy by preaching about the Nation of Islam and influencing huge crowd of people to fight for the rights of the African American people. A sided by side comparison between Dr Martin
Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska to Earl and Louise Little. His father, a minister and devout Christian, was known for being an outspoken follower of the black nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. Garvey’s message promoted the “back-to-Africa” movement that encouraged African Americans of the time to sever ties with
He started thinking about the world and the society he lives in. He began to question the way things were, and he realized that a change in his life, and in the society was both possible and necessary. Prior to his imprisonment, Malcolm had been enclosed in the world of the hustler, the player, the pimp, the gangster, the parasite, and he couldn¹t imagine him outside of that world. “Reading exposed Malcolm to new worlds; it allowed him to see that there were alternatives to the lifestyle and values of the social parasite” (Shanna). While in prison, Malcolm began to think, and to read. but only after he had been encouraged to do so by someone that he respected and who had taken an unselfish interest in him. “Malcolm was later motivated by a new sense of self-worth and identity and purpose, as his family introduced him to the religious and political philosophy of Islam, as taught by Elijah Muhammad, and practiced by the Nation of Islam (NOI)” (Estate of Malcolm X). Malcolm X converted to the Nation of Islam while in prison, and upon his release in 1952 he abandoned his surname "Little," which he considered a relic of slavery, in favor of the surname "X" a tribute to the unknown name of his African ancestors.
Malcolm X, an African American leader and prominent figure in the Nation of Islam, was a significant individual in the African American fight for justice and equality. In contrast to the mainstream Civil Rights Movement with its nonviolent pursuit of integration, Malcolm X voiced concepts of race pride and Black Nationalism during the 1950s and '60s. Although many argue that Malcolm X did not actually “do” anything for the black community, his nontraditional programs brought a new perspective to the Civil Rights Movement, and this perspective is of relevance today in the black community.
Malcolm X has made one of the greatest impacts on cultural consciousness for the African American Community during the second half of the twentieth century. He was a revolutionary icon who revolutionized the African American mindset. Malcolm X transformed modest African Americans into self confident, proud, powerful African Americans. No one could escape Malcolm’s influence, even after his death.
During his sentence he learned the importance of education. He thought himself the works of: history, politics, literature, reading and copying every word in the dictionary. While in incarcerated Malcolm family would write to him about a new movement in the outside world with the black community. He knew of Martin Luther King and his non violence approach but this group was different. They believed in violence and were under the leadership of a different man named Elijah Muhammad. Muhammad founded the Black Muslim group who followed by the Islamic faith. After doing his own research studying, practicing the religion and the continuous convincing by his family, Malcolm accepted the Islam faith. When he joined the Islamic faith he relinquished his last name Little to X because he felt that Little was a “slave name” and the X represented the absence of knowing his real last name (Pendergast).
He took the name X because his present last name was the last name of the slave master who freed their slave and since the slave didn't know who their ancestors were, and therefore didn't know their real last name, they often took up the last name of their master. Many Muslims kept the name "X" because in math, "X" is represented as an
The history of the United States has in it much separation or segregation due to race. For a long time our country has seen racism as a large problem and this has caused ethnic groups to be looked down upon and forced into a lifestyle of difficulties and suppression. Due to this, races, particularly African-Americans, have been forced to deal with unequal opportunity and poverty, leading to less honorable ways of getting by and also organizations that support change. Malcolm X is one strong example of an African American man who became apart of a group acted against it, uniting people to promote the advancement of colored people and change. Malcolm's thoughts towards race and civil right in the previous years were displayed in a less
Throughout history there have been many people who have stood out and made an impact in the way we think and comprehend things. During the late 1950's and early 1960's, Malcolm X was no exception. His militant views that Western nations were inherently racist and that black people must join together to build their own society and value system had an important influence on black nationalist and black separatist movements of the 1950s and 1960s. At the beginning of the movie, Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little. He was a young child trying to adapt to society's changes. He was looking so hard that he fell into the wrong crowd.
MALCOLM X Born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska on May 19, 1925, Malcolm X was the son of a Baptist minister, who was an avid supporter of Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association. While living in Omaha, the family was often harassed - at one point the family's house was set afire. In 1929 the
Malcolm X was a civil rights activist. He wanted equality for all people and fought for it. Malcolm said that he “ identified whites as the enemy of blacks”( gale students resources 1).He believed this because blacks were treated harshly by whites and they were made into slaves. Malcolm felt so strong about black rights. He even changed his last name to x. He did it for the black heritage that was taken
Malcolm was arrested on January 12, 1946, and convicted of burglary, carrying an illegal firearm, and larceny (Crime and Investigation 1). He was sent to Charlestown State Prison for 8-10 years. While there, he joined the Nation of Islam. He began exchanging letters frequently with Elijah Muhammad, the Nation of Islam’s leader, and changed his name to Malcolm X. He stated the “X” symbolized his lost tribal name, and that he was destroying the surname “Little” that his ancestor’s slave-owners had imposed on his family.
Malcolm X brought pride to being black. He did not think that blacks had to be given rights by whites, but that they were independent peoples. Although before he could accomplish his life wishes he was assassinated, his impact on the Civil Rights Movement will never be forgotten. Historians will never forget the man who
Malcolm X was born on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska as Malcolm Little to parents Earl and Louise Little. The Littles moved to Lansing, Michigan when Malcolm was an infant due to threats the family received from the Klu Klux Klan. This was because Reverend Earl Little was an early follower of Marcus Garvey, who preached black independance and self-respect (Altman, 197). Reverend Little died when Malcolm was only six years old after being hit by a streetcar. Malcolm always believed that this was a hate crime committed by whites. Many speculate that this is what originally caused Malcolm to distrust whites. Malcolm’s mother, Louise Little, was committed to the State Mental Hospital in Kalamazoo in 1939. Her exact illness is unknown (Mamiya).
Shortly soon, Malcolm would adopt X, as his last name; which was symbolic of a stolen identity.