While he was in prison he learned about the Black Muslims and grew interested in them. On his release in 1952 he joined a Black Muslim temple in Detroit and received his name Malcolm X. He became well known and one of their most prominent spokesperson. A year later he broke off the Nation of Islam and started his own secular Black Nationalist group called the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU). He made a hajj in 1964 and upon his arrival he went back to his previous teachings that all whites are evil. Malcolm X held many speeches, which made the poor people in the ghettos, believe in him he once said: “We are fighting for recognition as human beings. We are fighting for the right to live as free humans in this society. In fact, we are actually fighting for rights that are even greater than civil rights and that is human rights. We must have human rights before we can secure civil rights. We must be respected as humans before we can be recognized as citizens.” At first many people respected him and followed his beliefs.
Sometimes things would get out of control, many riots would occur, and hatred between the two races grew higher. However after a while people began to realize what he was saying and gradually lost interest in him or grew afraid of him. In 1965 he was assassinated by another Muslim …show more content…
Martin Luther King. He was assassinated April 4, 1968 by an escaped convict. King was a man who always spoke in peace and believed in the good doing so not surprisingly the whole nation mourned his death. The same day over 711 fires were set in Washington D.C. and ten people were killed. Nearly 21,270 people were injured and 3,000 arrested, 98 percent of them were involving blacks.
As a result of all this violence and tragic loss the black race was finally given their rights which they respectfully owned as humans even though they had to wait for 300 years. The process of achieving it was a long harsh road that did not always have a good ending. Many famous leaders were born during this era such as Martin Luther King who touched the lives of many and remains in the hearts of all. Chaos, destruction, pain, and confusion are some of the words that many African-Americans felt during this time.
They were free by law and given human rights but what was the purpose if no one bothered to follow them. They have suffered since the day they landed in America and it continued to the 60’s. If you have tried to hold peace marches or tried to talk out the problem peacefully and nothing seems to work, what would be your reaction to all your pain and loose? Mine would have certainly been the same as the African-Americans.