Malcolm X Hero

An admirable figure is someone that deserves to be praised, admired, and showered with respect by the actions of others. Malcolm X, is one that I believe deserves the praise through his endless struggles, prolific speeches, awards, and leadership. All my life, classroom history books made it seem as if Malcolm X was the bad guy who hated white individuals; Martin Lutheran King was the peaceful guy who wanted equality, but what writers failed to mention was why? Why did they never give a back story on Malcolm X, why did they never say he liked other races after an experience, or give him credit for being an admirable figure? This paper is dedicated towards an untold admirable figure. Born on May 19, 1925 Malcolm X was the youngest of eight
Malcolm X began to fight what would be a lifelong battle of personal ambition versus the general racist perception (Religious Leaders of America, 1999). After the split from his family he moved to his aunt Ella’s house in Lansing, Michigan to find work, and explore opportunities, those opportunities led him to major trouble (Gale, 1999). Once Malcolm X found a job as a shoe shiner, he looked for new ways of making money. Those new ways were gambling, and burglary, after many accounts of burglary he was sentenced to ten years in jail (Gale, 1999). In jail, he was introduced to the ideas of Elijah Muhammad (God’s prophet), and to the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X read every book, magazine, and newspaper he got his hands on in the prison library (Gale, 1999). He gained more knowledge by reading history books with the newly-learned testaments by Elijah Muhammad (Gale, 1999). Thru Malcolm X’s reading he developed a mindset that the white history process had left out great things that black men had done for the United States, or the great “black men that gotten whitened (American Decades,1998)." He improved his leadership by copying the dictionary word for word to further his definitions, and participating in debates over justice, the law, and America in jail. He also preached independently to the prisoners about the Nation of
It all came as a shock, the great Elijah Muhammad, the unquestioned spiritual leader of the Nation of Islam, who had sentenced a handful of Black Muslims to terms of silence, or execution, for adultery or other law breakage of their religious code. This situation allowed Malcolm X to take the thrown, other members within the Nation of Islam were trying for the kind of power, and attention that Malcolm X had attained. Some even tried to overthrow Malcolm X to fill Elijah Muhammad’s spot by saying unflattering speculations about Malcolm X's ambitions, calling it selfishness. This was a hard time for Malcolm, he believed that he would soon be assassinated by a member of the Nation of Islam because of his