Discuss Malcolm X's historical relevance on the 1960s Essay

Discuss Malcolm X's historical relevance on the 1960s - Essay Example Dyson underscores that as Malcolm came close to the year of his assassination, he exhibited a growing sense of humanity and moral awareness that both his critics and â€Å"true believers† dismissed. This paper explores the historical relevance of Malcolm X in the 1960s. It portrays the life of Malcolm X, his major accomplishments, the probable reasons for his assassination, and his historical relevance in American history. The Life of Malcolm X On May 19, 1925, Louise Norton Little gave birth to Malcolm in Omaha, Nebraska. Malcolm’s father, Earl Little, supported Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). The UNIA had its headquarters in Harlem and promoted the long-term goal of African Diaspora. While the African Americans have not yet returned to Africa, the UNIA promoted black pride and self-reliance. Earl traveled around the U.S. to teach the Garveyite ideals of self-dignity and self-reliance and to prepare believers for a return to Africa someday. Louise also contributed to the UNIA through writing articles for the UNIA’s Negro World. While Malcolm became a favorite of his father, Louise hated Malcolm because of his light skin color, which reminded her that she had a white father. She whipped Malcolm heavily and frequently. Malcolm’s father died in 1931, leaving his mother to fend for seven children, who were all less than twelve years old. The pressures of being self-r eliant and remaining strong, despite her loneliness, pushed Louise to her psychological limits. On January 9, 1939, the courts sent Louise to a state mental hospital at Kalamazoo. 6 Because of his earlier misdemeanors, Malcolm ended up in a detention home that the Swerleins managed. Malcolm worked hard for them, so they blocked the previous court decision to put him in reform school.7 Malcolm, however, had mixed feelings for the Swerleins, because he knew that they â€Å"liked† him, as if he is a â€Å"canary.†8 In 1939, during his seventh-grade year, Malcolm became elected as the class president. He took an active participation in sports and class activities too.9 As the only black student in Mason Junior High School, however, his teachers and classmates called him â€Å"the nigger† and older boys often â€Å"accidentally elbowed† him.10 One day, Malcolm’s English teacher, Mr. Ostrowsky, asked him if he had thought of a future career. Malcolm impulsively answered that he wanted to be a lawyer. Mr. Ostrowsky asserted that being a lawyer did not constitute as a â€Å"realistic† aim â€Å"for a nigger† and he aske d Malcolm to choose the occupation of carpentry instead.11 After this encounter, Malcolm learned to turn away from the whites who never aimed to give him access to his political and economic rights. Malcolm soon lost his former passionate interest in school. He dropped out and lived in Boston, Massachusetts, where he took numerous odd jobs. Afterwards, he traveled to Harlem, New York, where he became involved in petty crimes, such as drug trafficking and pimping. He turned into a well-known hustler in New York. By 1942, Malcolm acted as a go-between for a variety of narcotics, prostitution and gambling rings. The Malcolm X website narrates that Malcolm and his buddy, Malcolm â€Å"Shorty† Jarvis, went back to Boston, after some gang-related problems.12 In 1946, the police arrested them for burglary charges, and Malcolm received a sentence for ten years in prison. During this time, he became