Malcolm X was one of the most influential Afro-American leaders of the Black Nationalism movement in America. An advocate of vigorous self-defense against white violence, Malcolm X is considered an early influence on the black power movement in the late 1960s. Malcolm went from illiterate convict to minister the Harlem mosque within one year of joining Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. As a direct result of his effort, the Nation of Islam became the most well known and controversial black organization in the United States.
Malcolm Little was born on ay 19, 1925, in Omaha,Nebraska. His family moved from Omaha to Milwaukee shortly after Malcolm's birth, and later to Lansing, Michigan. Malcolm was initiated into violence, resistance, and religious rhetoric at a very young age. His father took him to the Garvey meetings that were held in different homes, and Malcolm heard a great deal of talk regarding the acceptance of blacks in America. Malcolm had he powerful influence of his father, a minister and organized resister. Of particular note is the fact that because his skin was lighter than siblings. In this way his father showed he had internalize white prejudice against dark skin. His mother, on the other hand, was more abusive towards him because of the light skin-probably a reflection of how she came to be light herself (Rajiv, 1992, p. 84).
Following his father's death, the family came into hard times that eventually lead to Malcolm living in a number of foster homes. Since his mother had no means of supporting the family, she would try to work various jobs but was fired after each employer discovered that she was a mulatto Negro. The family was destroyed in 1937 when the state welfare workers took over, splitting up the children and sending them to various different foster homes (Haley, 1965, p. 22).
Malcolm felt at this time that the workers viewed the children as things, and he was quite sensitive to the depend...