HALL 1

Michael Hall
Race & Social Justice
Professor Lo
4/20/16
The Evolution of Malcolm
When we think of the great Civil Rights Activist Malcolm X, many times we think of him
as a brash, quick tempered, black power oriented, Muslim. He was often portrayed as anti-white
and even blood thirsty, looking for revenge against the white race, and urging the black people of
this country to stand up and fight back by any means necessary against the white oppressors
this country was custom to. All of these things very may have been said about Malcolm during
his life, but there is one thing we should all realize as human beings, and that is we never stop
growing and learning, and even the smartest of individuals are still going through life for the first
time themselves. Malcolm X was not the man the media and schools portray him as. His life can
be broken up into three parts all different due to his three name changes during the course of his
life. Each name change is a significant chapter in his life, and contributes to making him the man
he was. Why did Malcolm Little change to Malcolm X and than to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz and
how was he a different person each transformation? Malcolm was constantly transforming as a
person during his life because as a young black male living in America, Malcolm goes through
extreme racial and social pressures at an extremely young age and these pressures are telling
Malcolm who he is and what he will amount to in life, This made Malcolm determined to make a
name for himself in a society where the black man was often seen as inferior.

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Born into the name Malcolm Little by his light complexion mother, black father, and five
siblings all living in Omaha, Nebraska. However, before Malcolm was even born and was still in
his mothers stomach, he was biologically exposed to the effects of racism. Malcolm tells a story
in the first chapter about his mother confronting a group of Klansmen warning the family to
move due to his fathers involvement in the Marcus Garvey back to Africa Movement.(pg.1)
Often times we can down play the effects of external forces on the womb, however these forces
were Malcolms first exposure to the hate and racism that the world he was about to enter was
filled with. In grade school, Malcolm Little was an avid student and was gifted academically.
However, due to the high amounts of open racism during this time, black students were usually
told about the realities of where their lives were headed. In this time period Black people were
not allowed to hold high paying jobs of any kind, and were mainly subject to working simple
blue collar jobs such as carpenters or shoe shiners. Malcolms first hand experience with this sort
of racism came when his grade school enlist teacher asked Malcolm what he wanted to be when
he grew up and Malcolm answered by saying he wanted to be a lawyer (pg.38). His teacher
answered him by telling him those kind of jobs were not realistic for blacks, and that Malcolm
should try and focus on a more realistic profession like being a carpenter. (pg.38) This is when
Malcolm first internalized racism put on him, and it didn't make him feel good about the society
he was living in. When Malcolm got a little older, the racial troubles intensified. His father was
now stirring a lot of trouble through his support of the back to Africa movement. This led to
constant harassment by white terrorist organizations and eventually the brutal murder of his

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father. After the murder of his father, the Little family began to fall apart. The Little familys
assets were divided amongst insurance companies whose sole agenda was on obtaining as much
money from the family as possible. This led to financial hardships on the family because a single
mother was forced to take care of 7 children. This forced a young Malcolm Little to begin
running the streets in order to make a quick buck and fill his adolescent belly. Malcolms
behavior began to get him into trouble and was soon used as an example as to why his mother
was unable to take care of her kids. Eventually landing her unfairly into a mental hospital.
Ultimately tearing the Little family apart. As Malcolm began maturing as an unguided young
black male Malcolm Little continued on the path of a criminal stealing any items deemed
profitable and pimping woman for his source of income. These actions are what landed Malcolm
Little behind bars (pg.153).
In prison is where Malcolm Little turned into who we know today as Malcolm X. While
in prison, Malcolm began reading a lot and was introduced to the Black Muslim Organization,
which helped to enhance the placement of Black people in America through arabic scripture,
preachment of self reliance and importance, through the powerful rhetoric of Elijah Muhammad.
The black Muslim movement was a complete switch from what the society had told black people
about themselves. Malcolm was finally coming into the truths about where his people originated
from and all the great things they attributed to that we use today. This was the time in Malcolms
life when the fire began to ignite within him. Finding out most of what he knows about himself
and his people are all lies and tactics used to keep holding the black race down. While in prison
Malcolm takes his curiosity one step further and begins writing Mr. Elijah Muhammad daily.

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During his communications with Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm begins feeling a deep connection
to the Islamic faith and strives to quench his spiritual thirst. One of the ways Malcolm begins
jumpstarting his roll in the Nation of Islam was when he began spreading the teachings of Elijah
muhammad to fellow prisoners. I would keep close watch on how each one reacted. I always
had to be careful. I never knew when some brainwashed black imp, some dyed-in-the-wool
Uncle Tom, would nod at me and then go running to tell the white man. When one was ripe and I
could tellthen away from the rest, Id drop it on him, what Mr. Muhammad taught: The white
man is the devil. That would shock many of them-until they started thinking about it. When
Malcolm begins directing his scholarly and spiritual urges towards preaching the ways of the
Nation of Islam to those around him, he starts to find great satisfaction and meaning in the work
he was doing. Driving Malcolm to further his knowledge on the Nation of Islam as well as
claiming official membership. Malcolm does what any able-bodied change driven person would
do. He made an attempt to make a difference and change the system for the benefit of his people.
After learning what he did and than teaching his newly gained knowledge, when Malcolm was
released from prison he didn't need to try and reflect on his time and try to change his ways
because he was already a new person. A new person with an unstoppable goal. Malcolm quickly
joined the nation of islam, changing his name from Malcolm Little to Malcolm X. With his
extreme intelligence and communication skills, he climbed up the ranks with ease. Becoming the
well known Minister of the Nation of Islam we know today. During his time as minister,
Malcolm learned of his great leader Elijah Muhammad having affairs with other woman, which
is strictly forbidden in the Nation of Islam, As well as the very action Elijah Muhammad

chastised Malcolms brother Reginald for, eventually landing Reginald into a mental institution
(pg.182-192). This hurt Malcolm and led him to completely distrust Elijah muhammad. This
ultimately pushed Malcolm from his participation with the Nation of Islam. Malcolm began
branching out in a different direction, still involved with the strive black equality and still
involved with the Islamic religion.
Malcolm X took his Hajj, which is a holy pilgrimage to Mecca. A religious event that all
Muslim followers hope to make at some point in their life. Here is where Malcolm X had a
spiritual change as well as another name change. Soon to be going by the name El-Hajj Malik ElShabazz. On his journey to begin making the Hajj, Malcolm and thousands of other Muslim
Worshipers await planes bound for the holy city of Mecca. On the plane Malcolm was aboard, he
saw something very rare to see in America, an eye opening experience, absent of hate and filled
with love. Packed in the plane were white, black, brown, red, and yellow people, blue eyes and
blonde hair, and my kinky red hair all together, brothers! All honoring the same God Allah, all in
turn giving equal honor to each other. (pg. 330) This is the beginning of the new transformation
Malcolm X was undergoing. A new approach to the atrocities and evils of the world. This
Approach was filled with acceptance, patience, forgiveness, love and tolerance taught by the
Islamic faith. When he returned to America he had changed more than just his name but also his
entire rhetoric and perceptions of whites as well as his beliefs on the solution to the racial issues
in America at that time, changing to a productive and nurturing racial solution. "My pilgrimage
broadened my scope. It blessed me with a new insight. In two weeks in the Holy Land, I saw
what I never had seen in thirty-nine years here in America. I saw all races, all colors, blue-eyed
blonds to black-skinned Africans-in true brotherhood! In unity! Living as one! Worshiping as

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one! No segregationists-no liberals; they would not have known how to interpret the meaning of
those words. "In the past, yes, I have made sweeping indictments of all white people. I never will
be guilty of that again-as I know now that some white people are truly sincere, that some truly
are capable of being brotherly toward a black man. The true Islam has shown me that a blanket
indictment of all white people is as wrong as when whites make blanket indictments against
blacks. "Yes, I have been convinced that some American whites do want to help cure the rampant
racism which is on the path to destroying this country!
"It was in the Holy World that my attitude was changed, by what I experienced there, and by
what I witnessed there, in terms of brotherhood-not just brotherhood toward me, but brotherhood
between all men, of all nationalities and complexions, who were there. And now that I am back
in America, my attitude here concerning white people has to be governed by what my black
brothers and I experience here, and what we witness here-in terms of brotherhood. The problem
here in America is that we meet such a small minority of individual so-called 'good,' or
'brotherly' white people. Here in the United States, not withstanding those few good white
people, it is the collective 150 million white people whom the collective 22 million black people
have to deal with! (pg.369)
In conclusion, the man the American education system teaches as Malcolm X, went
through three different names throughout the course of his life. Changing as a person
considerably through each name change. The reasons behind his always changing ideas and
beliefs are due to the large amounts of pressure put on African Americans in the Western world.
Not to mention the added pressures and troubles that come with the gained knowledge of the

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false doctrines and censored history fed to the black people of America about themselves and the
natural world. Calling for a re-evaluation of his identity. It can take decades for a person to truly
find out who they are meant to be. Due to peoples ever going changes, we should not be so
quick to judge another persons beliefs, especially without putting ourselves in their shoes during
the situations being addressed at that time. At the end of the day, we never stop growing and
learning, and even the smartest of individuals are still going through life for the first time
themselves. Malcolm X was not just the man the media and schools portray him as, he went
through many trials and tribulations as a young black male living in America, all in which shaped
him into becoming the great man we now know him by today.

Work Cited
X, Malcolm, and Alex Haley. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York: Ballantine, 1992.
Print.