11-27-31

Early Life

Name and Origin: Born Malcolm Little in Lansing, Michigan, in 1925.
Family Background:
- Father: Earl Little, a member of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), associated with Marcus Garvey's movement.
- After Earl's death, Malcolm's mother was committed to a psychiatric hospital.
Foster Care: Malcolm and his six siblings were sent to foster care after their mother's commitment.

Move to Boston: Eventually, he relocated to Boston and later moved to Harlem.
Early Career: Made a living as a hustler, engaged in pimping, drug dealing, and was a drug addict.
Criminal Charges: Sent to prison for six and a half years on burglary charges, seen by some as trumped-up due to his relationships with white women and his public lifestyle.

Prison Experience:
- Transformed during his time in prison, converting to the Nation of Islam (NOI).
- Intensively read various works, including philosophy and civil rights literature (e.g., Socrates, Shakespeare, Gandhi, etc.).
Meeting Elijah Muhammad: After prison, he met and became involved with Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the NOI.
Public Speaking: Gained popularity delivering speeches addressing the struggles of Black Americans, including unemployment, housing, and education issues.

Leadership Role: Rose quickly within the organization due to his charisma and public speaking skills.
Growth of NOI: Membership grew from hundreds in the 1950s to over 10,000 by the early 1960s.
Ideological Focus:
- Promoted Black entrepreneurship and community support.
- Advocated for racial separation and held conservative views on gender roles; women were largely confined to church or domestic roles.

Skepticism of Integration: Echoed sentiments of African Americans questioning integration in a racist society, referencing Baldwin's quote about not wanting to integrate into a burning house.
Self-Defense Advocacy:
- Advocated for self-defense against violence, asserting the justifiability of protecting oneself from aggression.
- Notably expressed these views in his piece "Black Revolution" in 1963.

Ballot or Bullet (1964): Implied the ultimatum of voting rights for African Americans or the need for armed defense if equality continued to be denied.
Call for Revolutions: Asserted that America had a unique chance to achieve a bloodless revolution through just treatment of Black citizens.
Radical Yet Hopeful Stance: Emphasized the potential for peaceful change if the American system recognized and addressed racial inequalities.

Post-JFK Assassination Comments: After JFK's assassination, he described the incident as the "chickens coming home to roost," which led to temporary suspension from the NOI.
Severing Ties: Disillusioned with Elijah Muhammad's hypocrisy regarding personal conduct, Malcolm officially broke from the NOI in March 1964.

Transformation: His journey to Mecca in early 1964 led to a significant ideological shift.
New Perspectives: Rejected previous views on race, including separatism, anti-Semitism, and opposition to interracial marriage after experiencing diversity among Muslims.

New Initiatives: Founded the Muslim Mosque Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity, seeking to promote Black identity and community.

Death: Assassinated on February 21, 1965, during a speech in New York.
Conspiracies: Multiple theories surround his assassination, including involvement from NOI members or external influences like the FBI.
- Two NOI members were convicted, but many still believe in a broader conspiracy.