What Is Malcolm X Known For?

Malcolm X lived a life of near constant metamorphosis. After a difficult beginning, he rose to fame as a black activist during a time when social reform among African Americans included both calls for peace and calls for bloodshed. During his life, Malcolm first believed in a path of militant change and later called for education and social change as paths to equality. Though some believe his means were reckless and self-serving, others believe his constant self-reinvention indicated a sincere motive to rid the world of inequalities.

Early Life

Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little, made a life of reinventing himself. Born one of eight children to activist parents working for a militant black nationalist movement, he endured a difficult childhood. His father died, supposedly at the hands of a racist group, according to the University of Illinois (see References). His mother, committed to a mental hospital, left the children to become wards of the state. Eventually Malcolm X went to live with his half-sister in Boston where he became mixed up with drugs and robbery. Arrested at 21 years old and sent to prison, Malcolm began another of many transformations. While there, he joined the Nation of Islam and became a pastor. In prison, Malcolm came to adopt all of their religious beliefs and worked to educate himself extensively.

Nation of Islam

After leaving prison, Malcolm Little became Malcolm X. The last name X stood for the ancestors in Africa he knew nothing about and his culture that was lost (see References). As a minister for the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X built the small movement into a major black nationalist group numbering thousands of members. During this time, Malcolm X led a church in Harlem he would go on to lead for nearly 10 years.

Successes

Malcolm X founded a Muslim newspaper, "Muhammad Speaks" in 1960. Over the next 10 years, its circulation of 600,000 made it the largest black-owned newspaper in the United States. In his extensive travels recruiting members for the Nation of Islam, he additionally founded more than 100 new Muslim temples. Increasingly, Malcolm X was a celebrity for Muslims. However, in 1964, he broke from the Nation of Islam and its founder, then created two new organizations. Muslim Mosque served as a spiritual organization, and the Organization of Afro-American Unity served as a social and political organization (see References).

Philosophy Change

In 1964, Malcolm X converted to a traditional Muslim. After a spiritual journey to Mecca, he returned with a new name, El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. Before returning to the United States, Malcolm traveled extensively through Africa and the Middle East, acquiring new points of view that changed his philosophy. He decided it was possible for change to occur in the United States without bloodshed. He became a proponent of education and social reform not just in the United States, but also for international human rights. His autobiography, "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" written during the last years of his life, was published after his death (see References).

End of Life

The speeches Malcolm X wrote also enjoy popularity in two collections published in 1965 and 1989. Spike Lee in particular helped to create a cultural icon image of Malcolm X with films that depict his black pride, dynamic leadership and powerful message of social protest (see References). An assassin ended his life in February of 1965 just before he delivered a speech. In the aftermath of his death, he was hailed as both a reckless instigator of violence and an honorable man working for social change.