Malcolm X's Role In The Civil Rights Movement

On May 19th, 1925, the face of the fight against racism was born in Omaha, Nebraska. Born as Malcolm Little, Malcolm X changed his name because he thought Malcolm Little “represented a slave name” (Trueman). Malcolm’s occupation was a human rights activist who fought against racism with the Nation of Islam (NOI). He also had a big role in the Civil Rights Movement as a speaker in many rallies and protests. Some people relate him to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was a fellow human rights activist that he worked with in the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement was a movement towards giving African-Americans human rights that they did not have. The start of the Civil Rights Movement and the decline of racism started when Malcolm …show more content…
One of those important people was Malcolm X. As an African-American, Malcolm X felt the right to fight for his people and get them the human rights that everyone deserves. When people think of the fight against racism and the Civil Rights Movement they seem to forget about Malcolm X, and really focus on other big names such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Malcolm X played just as big of a role in the Civil Rights Movement and fought against racism especially throughout America. In an online biography the author writes, “Malcolm X’s greatest contribution to society was underscoring the value of a truly free populace...”(“Malcolm X” Bio). In a biography about Malcolm X, an author wrote about Malcolm’s greatest achievements and how he helped the African-American community. Malcolm X was a person who stood up for the belief of no one being treated differently based on the color of their skin. He believed that everyone should be treated the same, no exceptions. Malcolm was very dedicated to his fight against racism. In a book called, Malcolm X: Militant Black Leader, the author wrote, “By 1953, Malcolm X had quit his job in order to devote all his time to acting as a missionary for the Nation of Islam” (Rummel 56). Devoted to his fight against racism Malcolm X did everything to help, including quitting his job. He believed that no person should be treated differently, causing him to fight and …show more content…
Malcolm joined when he met Elijah Muhammad, who led the Nation of Islam in 1934, in Chicago. He started to talk to Muhammad about the Nation of Islam and what they did. He liked the way that Muhammad stood up for people and how the NOI did what it did. Malcolm became a bigger part of the organization more and more every day. As a way to help with his fight against racism he recruited more members of the NOI. “He created the Organization for African-American Unity (OAAU)... for the purpose of organizing African people in the Western Hemisphere” (“Malcolm X”). After creating the OAAU, many people started moving up to the United States from the Western Hemisphere to join the Nation of Islam and help Malcolm X in his fight against racism. It also made the Nation of Islam a lot more popular throughout the U.S. Malcolm X made the NOI more known throughout the United States by increasing the population of it. In fact, “Malcolm was largely credited with increasing membership in the NOI from 500 in 1952 to 30,000 in 1963” (“Biography”). Some people find it astonishing that just because of one person, an organization population was multiplied by sixty in just eleven years. They say it was because of his “charisma, drive, and conviction that attracted an outstanding number of new members” (“Biography”). The increase of people in the NOI played a big part in the fight against racism.