The Autobiography of Malcolm X was not only a depiction of Malcolm X’s life but it also presented racial discrimination that he faced. A large portion of the book revealed and described the rigorousness that he and minorities like him faced. Malcolm’s experience of racial discrimination from both races, black and white exhibits the extent to which racism is still ingrained in society. It also displayed that racial discrimination and injustice were not exclusive to just the South but was a nationwide dilemma.
Malcolm X, initially named Malcolm Little, entered the world on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska to Earl and Louise Little. His father, Earl Little, a Baptist diplomatic minister spent his days helping the black community and had hopes on returning to Africa. Louise, Malcolm’s light brown mother, dealt with welfare agencies who did not believe she was fit to take care of her children because of the color of her skin. Fearful for their family, Earl Little moved the family to Lansing, Michigan anticipating that racism was less astringent in the northern regions of the United States, but there in the North was where Mr. Earl was killed by a white racist. Louise had to then raise the kids alone with very little income. She was unable to make a living and was so distraught that white officials admitted her into a mental institution. Malcolm was then placed in foster care and adopted by a white family called the Swerlins. As the only light skinned son, Malcolm found that there were some opportunities that were opened for him but yet some doors still remained closed. …show more content…
While in Lansing, Malcolm earned good grades and was elected class president but even in being successful there, he learned there was no way to escape discrimination as his teacher discouraged him by saying there was no way he could be become a lawyer because he was African American and that he should be a carpenter. “I don’t care how nice one is to you, the thing you must always remember is that almost never does he really see you as he sees himself, as he sees his own kind.” (^1). His aspirations were crushed, he dropped out of school and immediately began looking for work. The only problem was who was going to hire a black boy with an eighth grade education? So he wanted to move out of Michigan to a place where he could have a start and re-evaluate his life. Trying to find a way to exist, Malcolm moved in with his relative, Ella, in Roxbury, Boston to try to escape the racial identity society had labeled him and got a job working as a shoeshine boy at the Roseland Ballroom. That was when he met Sophia, a young white lady, who eventually became his girlfriend. Malcolm used his relationship with her to safely avoid the racial victimization he had experienced by becoming a perpetrator of racial prejudice himself. Sophia was nothing but an object to him but Malcolm soon became famous for his extraordinary garments and his conk hairstyle that gave him the appearance of being white. In 1942, he acquired a railroad job working in between Roxbury and New York. Eventually he settled in Harlem, a city known as the ghetto, in New York. Malcolm strongly believed that white society is to blame for the conditions the black community faced in Harlem and that whites also contributed to the lack of opportunities blacks had access to, giving blacks no other alternative but to live the life of a hustler. That survival of the fittest attitude minimized the …show more content…
He continued to merchandising drugs and was eventually seized for robbery and penalized for seven years in prison. In prison, he was nicknamed “Satan” because of his profane temper and inclination for private incarceration. While in jail, Malcolm began to show interest in religion, he was now concentrated on bettering himself and how society revealed him, reading encyclopedias, and studying Islam. He started to admire Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Islam. While incarcerated, Malcolm decided to get rid of the “slave name” little and took on a new last name, “X”.After his verdict, he attempted to work under Elijah Muhammad’s leadership, became a pastor and created mosques in surrounding areas. He purchase a wristband ,suitcase, and eyeglasses upon leaving prison this symbolized his new time-conscious efficiency, tireless drive, and advanced
Malcolm X, initially named Malcolm Little, entered the world on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska to Earl and Louise Little. His father, Earl Little, a Baptist diplomatic minister spent his days helping the black community and had hopes on returning to Africa. Louise, Malcolm’s light brown mother, dealt with welfare agencies who did not believe she was fit to take care of her children because of the color of her skin. Fearful for their family, Earl Little moved the family to Lansing, Michigan anticipating that racism was less astringent in the northern regions of the United States, but there in the North was where Mr. Earl was killed by a white racist. Louise had to then raise the kids alone with very little income. She was unable to make a living and was so distraught that white officials admitted her into a mental institution. Malcolm was then placed in foster care and adopted by a white family called the Swerlins. As the only light skinned son, Malcolm found that there were some opportunities that were opened for him but yet some doors still remained closed. …show more content…
While in Lansing, Malcolm earned good grades and was elected class president but even in being successful there, he learned there was no way to escape discrimination as his teacher discouraged him by saying there was no way he could be become a lawyer because he was African American and that he should be a carpenter. “I don’t care how nice one is to you, the thing you must always remember is that almost never does he really see you as he sees himself, as he sees his own kind.” (^1). His aspirations were crushed, he dropped out of school and immediately began looking for work. The only problem was who was going to hire a black boy with an eighth grade education? So he wanted to move out of Michigan to a place where he could have a start and re-evaluate his life. Trying to find a way to exist, Malcolm moved in with his relative, Ella, in Roxbury, Boston to try to escape the racial identity society had labeled him and got a job working as a shoeshine boy at the Roseland Ballroom. That was when he met Sophia, a young white lady, who eventually became his girlfriend. Malcolm used his relationship with her to safely avoid the racial victimization he had experienced by becoming a perpetrator of racial prejudice himself. Sophia was nothing but an object to him but Malcolm soon became famous for his extraordinary garments and his conk hairstyle that gave him the appearance of being white. In 1942, he acquired a railroad job working in between Roxbury and New York. Eventually he settled in Harlem, a city known as the ghetto, in New York. Malcolm strongly believed that white society is to blame for the conditions the black community faced in Harlem and that whites also contributed to the lack of opportunities blacks had access to, giving blacks no other alternative but to live the life of a hustler. That survival of the fittest attitude minimized the …show more content…
He continued to merchandising drugs and was eventually seized for robbery and penalized for seven years in prison. In prison, he was nicknamed “Satan” because of his profane temper and inclination for private incarceration. While in jail, Malcolm began to show interest in religion, he was now concentrated on bettering himself and how society revealed him, reading encyclopedias, and studying Islam. He started to admire Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Islam. While incarcerated, Malcolm decided to get rid of the “slave name” little and took on a new last name, “X”.After his verdict, he attempted to work under Elijah Muhammad’s leadership, became a pastor and created mosques in surrounding areas. He purchase a wristband ,suitcase, and eyeglasses upon leaving prison this symbolized his new time-conscious efficiency, tireless drive, and advanced