Malcolm Little was born in Omaha, Nebraska on May 19, 1925. He was the son of Earl Little, a Baptist preacher, and his wife, Louise. Earl Little was an outspoken promoter of social and economic independence for blacks and a supporter of the "Back to Africa" movement of a black nationalist leader named Marcus Garvey. Because of Earl's outspoken ways, the Ku Klux Klan terrorized the whole family. Earl eventually moved his entire family to Lansing, Michigan - but that didn't help.

One of Malcolm's first memories came in 1929. He awoke to pistol shots, shouting, and smoke. His father shot at the two white men who set fire to their Lansing home but they both were able to escape. The Little family ended up on their front lawn in their underwear crying and screaming while white policemen stood around watching their house burn to the ground. (Haley X 3) In 1931, when Malcol

With the death of Earl Little came the end of the Little family unit. After Malcolm's mother had a nervous breakdown, the welfare department took her eight children away from her. Alone and without money, Louise Little got more and more desperate, before the white authorities sent her to a mental hospital. (Dyson 3-5)

In 1963 Elijah Muhammad silenced Malcolm X for 90 days because of a statement he made after the assassination of U.S. president, John F. Kennedy, about "the chickens coming home to roost"

While in prison, Malcolm read widely and developed an interest in the Nation of Islam, a black nationalist religious movement. Malcolm studied the teachings of the leader of the Black Muslims, Elijah Muhammad, who supported the idea of having an independent black state. This theology was adapted from several models including one of which was Marcus Garvey's principles of black nationalism. Unlike traditional Islam, which rejects all forms of racism, the Nation of Islam declared that whites were the "devil by nature," and that God was black. It is quite possible that Malcolm's interest in the Nation of Islam stemmed from the fact that its beliefs are quite similar to the beliefs of his father.

From that point forward, Malcolm X renounced his previous racism against whites, declaring that in Mecca he had realized that people of all colors were children of Allah. In contrast to his earlier views, he encouraged blacks to vote, to participate in the political system, and to work with each other for an end to racial discrimination. As he told a group of African leaders, the problem of race was "not a Negro problem, nor an American problem. This is a world problem, a problem of humanity."

During his pilgrimage to Mecca, Malcolm had a revelation. This is a quote from a letter he sent back home during that journey:

"There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blonds to black skin Africans. But we were all participating in the same rituals, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had lead me to believe never could exist between the white and non-white."

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1498
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)