From one of the top ranking students in school, to one of the greatest hustlers in Harlem and one of the most influential black activist leaders during the 1960s, Malcolm X succeeded in all three of these careers. Malcolm X has always been very committed to anything he did. He would seek as much knowledge as possible about what he did and use this. His great commitment is what made Malcolm survive in the poorest neighborhoods of Harlem and it is what made Malcolm such a faithful Muslim. The Islam gave Malcolm a new insight in life and racial discrimination in the United States of America. It made him aware of the status the black American had and it made him feel proud of being black and fight for black power. The influence of the Islam on Malcolm X’s thinking has been significant for his success as a black nationalist leader, therefore, I will argue that the conversion of Malcolm X to the religion of Islam has made him the proud and influential black nationalist leader of the 1950s and 1960s, his new approach to the racial problem helped millions of African-Americans gain self-respect, have faith in the future of the African-Americans and in themselves.
Reverend Earl Little, Malcolm’s father, was a Baptist minister and a dedicated organizer for Marcus Aurelius Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association (U.N.I.A). He fought for a better position of afro-Americans. Garvey was one of the most controversial black man at that time. He believed in black race purity and he believed that the African-Americans should return to Africa in other to gain self-respect, independence and freedom. Malcolm X , born May 19, 1925, was very young at that time and did not develop political ideas yet. When Malcolm became older, these same kind of ideas his father and Mr. Garvey had, influenced and formed his thoughts. Because of his father being an active Garvey follower, his family was brought into danger. Three of Earl’s brothers were killed by the hands of white men,...