Malcolm X Dichotomy

“...The fact is, in too many parts of this country, a deep distrust exists between law enforcement and communities of color. Some of this is the result of the legacy of racial discrimination in this country”- Barack Obama. In the early nineteen sixties, racial tensions dramatically escalated. Blacks felt their basic, human rights were inferior. While all desired equality, blacks were divided on how to achieve it. There were those who condoned any means necessary for equality, while others reserved themselves to civil disobedience. Through this dichotomy, groups arose from the arduous years of racial discord and disparity that have altered our history forever. One of these figures was Malcolm X, an African American man whose preachings were …show more content…
Malcolm urged more radical demonstrations of black power. A multitude of blacks heeded his call. Originally born under the name of Malcolm Little, Malcolm’s young life was filled with turmoil. His father was murdered by a group of Black Legionaries, yet his murder was deemed a suicide, thus receiving no death benefits. Soon after, at age six, Malcolm was placed into a foster home. It is through this troubled uprbinging that Malcolm’s disdain for the white man was conceived. At age twenty-one, Malcolm was imprisoned for burglary. It is in this prison that Malcolm X discovered Elijah Muhammad, and the Nation of Islam. Muhammad believed that “.....the white man is the devil with whom blacks can not live” (History.com Staff 2). During his time in prison, Malcolm X received a letter from Elijah Muhhamad, justifiying his criminal acts as warranted, claiming “No man in a just system would resort to criminal activity. You are not the criminal. The criminals are the whites who, through their racism, have forced you into the acts you have committed” (Blake 3). Muhammad’s ideology was a complete overlay of Malcolm’s thoughts, and he joined the Nation of Islam soon after his release from