He stayed away from drugs and alcohol, and he prayed five times a day. He began to work with the leader of the Nation of Islam to expand the movement for black Americans. When Elijah and X met he recommended that Malcolm change his last name from Little to X, because of a symbolic rejection of his antecedent name. After a while, X became the minister of Temple No. 7 in Harlem and Temple No. 11 in Boston. He demanded that blacks needed better lives, otherwise the whites would continue to walk over them. Over the years, X noticed a change in the Nation of Islam’s. He later believed that some FBI agents sent people to join and spy on the Nation of Islam. Which resulted in him and the Islam getting much media attention. X started to have second guesses about the leadership of Elijah. He began to hear rumors about Elijah committing adultery. In March 1964, he left the Nation of Islam and created the Muslim Mosque, Inc., in Harlem. He later visited Mecca, the city where all Muslim men had to go once in their lifetime. The experience happened to changed him. In 1958, X married Betty Sanders, a nursing student. A few years later they had six children, all girls, including twins who were born after he was killed. On February 21, 1965, X went to the Audubon Ballroom on West 166th Street in Harlem to give a speech. He greeted the audience with “Assalaikum, brothers and sisters!” Which means “peace be upon you.” …show more content…
He decided that selling drugs and stealing wasn’t going to get him anywhere positive in life. Once he joined the Nation of Islam, his life turned around. He became a great leader, parent, and husband. X stuck to his saying “We want freedom by any means necessary. We want justice by any means necessary. We want equality by any means