ME, Malcom X

I was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. My mother, Louise Norton Little, was a homemaker occupied with the family's eight children. My father, Earl Little, was an outspoken Baptist minister and avid supporter of Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. Earl's civil rights activism prompted death threats from the white supremacist organization Black Legion, forcing the family to relocate twice before Malcolm's fourth birthday.

"When my mother was pregnant with me, she told me later, a party of hooded Klu Klux Klan riders galloped up to our home... Brandishing their shotguns and rifles, they shouted for my father to come out."

Regardless of the Little's efforts to elude the Legion, in 1929 their Lansing, Michigan home was burned to the ground. Two years later, Earl's (My dads) body was found lying across the town's trolley tracks. Police ruled both incidents as accidents, but the Little's were certain that members of the Black Legion were responsible. Louise(My mom) suffered emotional breakdown several years after the death of her husband and was committed to a mental institution. My brothers and sisters were split up amongst various foster homes and orphanages.

Growing Up

I was a smart,a focused student. I graduated from junior high at the top of my class. However, when my favorite teacher told me my dream of becoming a lawyer was "no realistic goal for a nigger," I lost interest in school. I dropped out, spent some time in Boston, Massachusetts working various odd jobs, and then traveled to Harlem, New York where I committed petty crimes. By 1942 I was coordinating various narcotics, prostitution and gambling rings.

"...Early in life, I had learned that if you want something, you had better make some noise."

Eventually me and my buddy moved back to Boston. In 1946 we were arrested and convicted on burglary charges, and I was sentenced to 10 years in prison. (I was paroled after serving seven years.) Recalling my days in school, I used the time to further my education. It was during this period of self-enlightenment that My brother Reginald would visit and discuss my recent conversion to the Muslim religion. Reginald belonged to the religious organization the Nation of Islam (NOI).

Intrigued, I began to study the teachings of NOI leader Elijah Muhammad. Muhammad taught that white society actively worked to keep African-Americans from empowering themselves and achieving political, economic and social success. Among other goals, the NOI fought for a state of their own, separate from one inhabited by white people. By the time I was paroled in 1952, I was a devoted follower with the new surname "X." (I was considered "Little" a slave name and chose the "X" to signify my lost tribal name.)