What was malcolm x education

To pass the time during his incarceration, he read constantly, devouring books from the prison library in an attempt make up for the years of education he had missed by dropping out of high school. Also while in prison, Malcolm was visited by several siblings who had joined the Nation of Islam, a small sect of Black Muslims who embraced the ideology of Black nationalism — the idea that in order to secure freedom, justice and equality, Black Americans needed to establish their own state entirely separate from white Americans.

He changed his name to Malcolm X and converted to the Nation of Islam before his release from prison in Now a free man, Malcolm X traveled to Detroit, Michigan, where he worked with the leader of the Nation of Islam, Elijah Muhammad , to expand the movement's following among Black Americans nationwide.

Malcolm X became the minister of Temple No. In , he established a national newspaper, Muhammad Speaks , in order to further promote the message of the Nation of Islam. Articulate, passionate and an inspirational orator, Malcolm X exhorted Black people to cast off the shackles of racism "by any means necessary," including violence.

His militant proposals — a violent revolution to establish an independent Black nation — won Malcolm X large numbers of followers as well as many fierce critics. Due primarily to the efforts of Malcolm X, the Nation of Islam grew from a mere members at the time he was released from prison in , to 40, members by By the early s, Malcolm X had emerged as a leading voice of a radicalized wing of the civil rights movement , presenting a dramatic alternative to Martin Luther King Jr. King was highly critical of what he viewed as Malcolm X's destructive demagoguery.

A rupture with Elijah Muhammad proved much more traumatic. In , Malcolm X became deeply disillusioned when he learned that his hero and mentor had violated many of his own teachings, most flagrantly by carrying on many extramarital affairs; Muhammad had, in fact, fathered several children out of wedlock.

Malcolm's feelings of betrayal, combined with Muhammad's anger over Malcolm's insensitive comments regarding the assassination of John F. Kennedy , led Malcolm X to leave the Nation of Islam in The journey proved to be both a political and spiritual turning point in his life.

He learned to place the American civil rights movement within the context of a global anti-colonial struggle, embracing socialism and pan-Africanism.

After his epiphany at Mecca, Malcolm X returned to the United States less angry and more optimistic about the prospects for a peaceful resolution to America's race problems. Just as Malcolm X appeared to be embarking on an ideological transformation with the potential to dramatically alter the course of the civil rights movement, he was assassinated.

He had just begun addressing the room when multiple men rushed the stage and began firing guns. Struck numerous times at close range, Malcolm X was declared dead after arriving at a nearby hospital. Three members of the Nation of Islam were tried and sentenced to life in prison for murdering the activist. In the early s, Malcolm X began working with acclaimed author Alex Haley on an autobiography.

The book details Malcolm X's life experiences and his evolving views on racial pride, Black nationalism and pan-Africanism. The Autobiography of Malcolm X was published in after his assassination to near-universal praise. The New York Times called it a "brilliant, painful, important book," and Time magazine listed it as one of the 10 most influential nonfiction books of the 20th century.

Malcolm regarded the dictionary as a miniature encyclopedia. He learned about people and animals, about places and history, philosophy and science. Fortunately, there was a light on the landing outside his particular cell and once his eyes got accustomed to the glow, he was able to sit on the floor by the cell door and continue his reading.

He found that the guards would come around once every hour so that when he heard their footsteps approaching, he would rush back to his bunk until they had gone past and pretend to be asleep. As soon as they had gone, he would be back by the door reading. This would continue until three or four every morning.

Malcolm read and read and read. He devoured books on history and was astounded at the knowledge he obtained about the history of black civilizations throughout the world. His reading was not limited to history, however.

He read about genetics and philosophy. He read about religion. Malcolm went on to become a major figure in the fight against racism in the United States.

He became a dynamic spokesman for the Black Muslims. He was feared by many, he was respected by many. He never stopped wanting to learn. Just before his death in , he maintained that one of the things he most regretted in his life was his lack of an academic education. He stated that he would be quite willing to go back to school and continue where he had left off and go on to take a degree.

He talked about the pressures on him everywhere he turned, and about the frustrations, among them that no one wanted to accept anything relating to him except "my old 'hate' and 'violence' image.

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