Malcolm X By: Justin Osuji

Quote

“There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance next time.”

This quote shows how Malcolm X was innovator of change. He believed that every defeat and failure made him and everyone around him a strong better person. He preached that you learn the most from the failures and from failure comes success.

Background

Malcolm x was not only one of the most powerful civil rights activist, but also one of the most inivative. He used his islamic beliefs to transform the way african american citizens were misrepresented in society. He is important today because he helped blacks as a people makes strides to being a more respected group.Malcolm X fought to raise the self-esteem of black Americans and reconnect them with their African heritage. This is why I admire Malcolm x, one of the most powerful civil rights leaders during the civil rights movement. Born on May 19, 1925, he was raised in Omaha, Nebraska by his father Earl Little and his mother Louise Norton Little. In Malcolm X’s youth he found himself in severe trouble. By the age of 20 he was arrested for burglary and served seven years in prison. During his time in jail, Malcolm X built himself up through the Islamic religion and sought a more godly lifestyle. Once released from incarceration he was a new man and wanted to make change in society. He believed in going to extremes to do so. Through his Islamic beliefs Malcolm had an image of how to restructure society and ultimately help the Black community divert from being frowned upon. Although he was not a collective leader, he was very powerful in his methods of critical reflection and determination, which caused a lot of his followers to have a deep respect for him.

Accomplishments

Malcolm X was not only one of the most inspirational civil rights leaders during the 20th century, but also one of the most sought out speakers. On June 29, 1963 Malcolm X led one of the largest civil rights events known as the Unity Rally in Harlem. He concentrated on Harlem because of Harlem massive black population During this gathering Malcolm X focused on unifying all blacks regardless of religious background, social class, or political views. He believed that unification among st his African American peers was one of the most important steps in gaining what he viewed as “Perfect Freedom.”During his speech Malcolm X acknowledged that “leaders all have their differences,” but also shed light on his believe that often these differences were the cause to serious divisions among st blacks. in the end he shared that African Americans as a whole didn’t have the luxury of time and differences among st your peers should never hold anyone from working hand in hand to achieve something they both believed in. During this speech Malcolm x accomplished strengthening his ties with other important civil rights leaders. Many viewed some of Malcolm x’s methods are in just, but his speech during the rally in Harlem helped to rebuild his connection with many of his political peers.
In 1963 New York’s times reported that Malcolm X was the second most sought after speaker in the whole nation. This was due to his powerful speaking style and his innovative request for change. Because of this national attention Malcolm x was invited to host on several different radio broadcasts, and was invited to speak at universities across the nation such as Harvard law school, Columbia university, and Howard university also prior to this statement Malcolm X began to receive a surplus of articles in the paper describing his goals and exactly what it was he was trying to accomplish during the civil rights period.
In March of 1964 Malcolm X formed the Muslim Mosque after he split with the (NOI). He also helped organize the groups of Afro Americans unity. (OAAU) he was respected as very strong minded, powerful leader and was regarded as a brilliant man. After forming these groups Malcolm X began to write his Biography and finally had it published in 1965. he talked alot about his pilgrimage to the United AArabic Reppublic where he fully realized himself as a full blown muslim.
Malcolm x is credidted with being an inovator for the muslim religion. He is notably responsible for expanding the reiligions folllowers to up to 50,000 during a time period in which the muslim religion wasnt largely respected.

Criticism

Although Malcolm X was a great leader and an advocate for the civil rights movement all over the country many people found his extremist ideals and evasive attitude extremely resentful. Malcolm x was by all means a radical and believed that the non violence movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King made African Americans around the country look “weak.” He was a very close minded individual who in early years of leading his movements made it clear that it was his way or the highway. His expressed himself as vividly as possible and didn’t beat around the bush which sadly mad a lot of people to oppose and turn their backs on his methods. Some may argue that he was even as far as rude, but in reality he was just a firm believer in telling people exactly how he felt.

Leadership lessons

Malcolm X was a very hard nosed leader. He was an important figure in the Muslim community and tied a lot of his Muslim beliefs into his protests. Through Islam Malcom X discovered that a pure heart and mind are essential to ultimately obtaining true freedom. Although in his early years Malcolm X was a collective leader he was extremely empathetic towards those he worked with. He was a fearless man that had no tolerance for quitting. He thought very highly of his methods and in early years wasn’t very open to listen to others advice. He made it clear that he was going to do everything he wanted his way and as history shows rarely changed his mind for anyone.

Critical Reflection– Malcolm X time in and out has shown his ability to critically reflect. In early years of Malcolm’s journey as a civil rights activist he openly bashed others activists ideals and belittled their methods of making the African American population truly equal. As he continued to grow as a national power and an advocate for blacks all around the country he took a step back and began to divert from his public judgement of other leaders and was more understanding of their reasoning for attacking the racial problems America was facing the way they did
Determination– Malcolm X was one of the most determined leaders the civil rights movement had seen. His drive and dedication to his work was matched by very little. He was willing to work through anything and put serious time into making his beliefs a contributor to change in America

About the Author

Wagner freshman student athlete on a scholarship to play football. Love to socialize with people and get know about what they enjoy doing. Truly admire Malcolm X for bold charisma and extreme want to make a change. My favorite civil rights leader because unlike many other Malcolm X refused to take the passive way out. He viewed that as weak and was not going to allow people to disrespect blacks as a race. I find myself and Malcolm X very similar and truly respect his work.

Dulaney, W. Marvin. 2013. “Documenting the life and legacy of Malcolm X.” The Journal Of African American Historyno. 4: 602.pg 13-27 Academic OneFile, EBSCOhost (accessed November 3, 2014).

Gregory, Kia, and Damien Cave. “Troubled Life in Malcolm X’s Shadow Comes to a Violent End.” New York Times 11 May 2013: A15(L). New York State Newspapers. Web. 6 Nov. 2014

Street, Joe, et al. “Roundtable: Manning Marable, Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention.” Journal Of American Studies 47, no. 1 (February 2013): 23-47.MLA International Bibliography, EBSCOhost (accessed November 6, 2014).