A vehement opposition to the rampant racism present in the United States, Malcolm X was labeled anything from a demagogue racist to one of the greatest civil rights leaders in United States history. He was a constant force in fighting inequalities, and had been subjected to different kinds of inequalities his entire life. Yet one aspect that is often overlooked of Malcolm X, and is crucially important to understanding his leadership and beliefs, is his attitudes towards woman. Throughout his life, Malcolm goes through multiple levels towards which he views woman. Yet through each of these levels, he reveals hints of sexism if not outright mysoginism. Interestingly enough, Malcolm is profoundly impacted by the woman around him. To understand
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When he first meets Ella, he is beyond impressed by her verbosity and radiant pride in her dark skin. Malcolm comes to rely on Ella’s support many times throughout his life. As a teenager in the ghettoes of Boston, he stays at Ella’s house and she supports him, and later on in his life she is a constant presence. When Malcolm is in prison, Ella writes him letters and even helps him get transferred to a better facility. Ella becomes a devout Muslim after Malcolm helps convince her, she starts her own school for Islamic studies, and helps Malcolm at one of the most important moments of his life: Supporting him financially on his trip to Mecca. Yet even then, Malcolm’s comments show that he does not fully respect Ella’s leadership. As he states on page 41: “I could see although I didn’t say, how any average man would find it impossible to live for very long with a woman whose every instinct was to run everything and everybody she had to do with.” Malcolm’s remarks, especially in regards to Ella, pose a fundamental question about his ideology: Does Malcolm X serve to be a leader of black men or black people? If he, as he claims is a leader of the black people, then what role does he envision woman playing in the fight for black
When he first meets Ella, he is beyond impressed by her verbosity and radiant pride in her dark skin. Malcolm comes to rely on Ella’s support many times throughout his life. As a teenager in the ghettoes of Boston, he stays at Ella’s house and she supports him, and later on in his life she is a constant presence. When Malcolm is in prison, Ella writes him letters and even helps him get transferred to a better facility. Ella becomes a devout Muslim after Malcolm helps convince her, she starts her own school for Islamic studies, and helps Malcolm at one of the most important moments of his life: Supporting him financially on his trip to Mecca. Yet even then, Malcolm’s comments show that he does not fully respect Ella’s leadership. As he states on page 41: “I could see although I didn’t say, how any average man would find it impossible to live for very long with a woman whose every instinct was to run everything and everybody she had to do with.” Malcolm’s remarks, especially in regards to Ella, pose a fundamental question about his ideology: Does Malcolm X serve to be a leader of black men or black people? If he, as he claims is a leader of the black people, then what role does he envision woman playing in the fight for black