Malcolm X: An Advocate For Racial Injustice

Throughout the autobiography of Malcolm X, as told by Alex Haley, it is evident that there are multiple key events that make Malcolm who he was towards the end of his life: an advocate for African American rights. His childhood, his drug addiction, his finding of Elijah Muhammad are all key events that led him to become an advocate for racial injustice. Malcolm X lost his father at a young age. His father, the Reverend Earl Little, was murdered by KKK members. When Malcolm's mother went to claim his fathers insurance deposit, the bank refused to give the money to her because the court ruled his father's death a suicide. After Malcolm was arrested, he suffered from withdrawal from drugs. Once he reached normality again he started to educate
His first vivid memory was his home in Omaha, Nebraska burning down; his mother barely making it out with his baby sister. Before Malcolm X was even born, his family had dealt with racial oppression already. He remembers his mother telling him about the experience: "Still shouting threats, the Klansmen finally spurred their horse and galloped around the house, shattering every window pane with their gun butts" (Page 1). Racial violence has been around longer than Malcolm X has been alive, and when he was born it was just a way of life. Malcolm felt that the systems put in place to help American citizens rejected people of color. KKK members murdered Malcolm’s father. The insurance company refused to pay their family the money that was owed to them because the court labeled Earl Little's death as a suicide. This caused their family to sink deeper into debt and hardship. Malcolm was separated from his family, because of this he truly realized that the system that runs the United States was corrupt against the colored. Malcolm didn't realize the racial injustice portrayed against his family until much later in his life. It was moments like this that formed his opinions and speeches and arguments in the future. Moments like these are what made Malcolm X a leader of
Here he educated himself and completely changed his mindset. Malcolm transitioned from being a hustler to being a follower of Elijah Muhammad. During the time Malcolm spent in jail he was very atheistic; his family would say that they would pray for him to get better and they would send him good thoughts. Hearing this only irritated him. His bad temper at the time came from his withdrawal from drugs. Malcolm didn't think that praying would help him, it was a waste of time to him and he felt like he didn't need the help. It wasn't until a fellow prisoner named Bimbi showed him he did need the help and put Malcolm on the tracks to become an educated and faithful man. Under Bimbi's leadership Malcolm would start to educate himself using the small library provided to the prisoners. In the books provided in the library Malcolm found many stories of racial oppression. He also found stories of segregation, where Mr. Yacub made a "beached out white race of Devils" (page168). Malcolm read many stories about black history and formed the opinion that separation of races was the best solution for blacks and whites. Malcolm's time spent in prison gave him educated opinions that helped him form his views on integration and