To what extent did the contributions of Malcolm X and his black nationalist and militant style

create short term and long term, meaningful change to the rights and freedoms of African
American people in the United States during the Civil Rights Movement (1946-1968)?

The Civil Rights Movement was a political movement from 1946 to 1968, that aimed to abolish
institutional racial segregation and discrimination throughout the United States (Khan Academy,
2018). The history of African Americans is one of violence and tragedy, though it is also one of
courage and strength. Many prominent figures surfaced, fighting for freedom and equality, and
often committing themselves and their people to a non-violent, integrationist approach. However,
Malcolm X sought a different approach, portraying a black nationalist and militarist approach,
causing him to rise to prominence as a controversial figure. To his supporters, he was a brave
speaker of an unpalatable truth white America needed to hear. To his critics, he was a socially
divisive advocate of violence (Middleton & Shah Idil, 2018). Malcolm X made significant long-term
and short-term changes to the Civil Rights Movement through his black nationalist and militaristic
approach, however his approach made some people see him as a divisive figure rather than one that
united people together. This is evident through the formation of Malcolm’s views caused by his
upbringing and his following of the Nation of Islam, his short-term impacts through his extreme
preaching of separatism, leaving the Nation of Islam and his assassination and his long-term impacts
as he influenced the Black Panther Party and Black Lives Matter movements to emerge.

Malcolm X’s troubled upbringing confronted him with racism from an early age and discovering and
eventually following the Nation of Islam, shaped his black nationalist views and his passion for the
liberation of black people which caused him to become a prominent figure. Malcolm X, originally
known as Malcolm Little, was born on May 19 th, 1925 and was living in the northern state of
Nebraska (Lawrence, 2022). During a time of enforced segregation and Jim Crow Laws, X and his
family experienced the brutality of American racism firsthand. Since his parents followed the Pan-
African activist, Marcus Garvey, their family was subjected to constant harassment by the Ku Klux
Klan (KKK). Consequently, when X was four years old, the KKK burned down their house. After
moving to Michigan, they were threatened by the Black Legion and his father was assumed to be
murdered by this anti-black group when he was six. His mother was then committed to a mental
intuition at 13, and Malcolm was in the hands of a detention home run by a racist white couple
(Haley, 2015). Malcolm excelled in school, however, this was cut short after a white teacher told him
“it is was unrealistic for a young black boy to have aspirations of being a lawyer.” (Middleton & Shah
Idil, 2018) This primary source comes from a traditional white-supremacist perspective
demonstrating the racist views indoctrinated and commonly held in society at the time. It is implied
that since Malcolm was a victim to racism and treated with inferiority by white society throughout
his upbringing, he held a negative image of white people that caused him to develop a black
nationalist sentiment. This is corroborated by notable Black Power scholar, Peniel Joseph, when he
states that "Malcolm X is really scarred by racial trauma at a very early age." (Terry, 2020) Joseph
provides a balanced perspective that implies X’s trauma from racism was a major cause for his
development of black nationalist ideologies. Both of these sources are highly useful for providing
insight into the childhood of Malcolm X and how it affected the course of his life. Over time X started
getting involved in robbery, drug dealing, gambling, and pimping, eventually being arrested and
sentenced to 8-10 years at Charlestown State prison for committing a string of robberies (Mass
Moments, n.d.). However, incarceration was the beginning of Malcolm’s transformation. While in
prison, his siblings wrote to him about the Nation of Islam and its leader, Elijah Muhammad. The
Nation of Islam promoted black independence and rejected the notion of the superiority of white
people. Instead, Elijah Muhammad taught his followers a form of separatism from whites, referring
to them as ‘devils’ and inferior to black people. Due to Muhammad’s influence, Malcolm Little
changed his name to Malcolm X with the intention of abandoning his given family name as it was the
name of a former slaveowner. After being released from prison, X visited Muhammad and eventually
became the spokesperson for the Nation of Islam, significantly growing their following. Malcolm’s
rise to national prominence surfaced as his profile continued to grow via print and television
appearances. His first interview for the British TV in 1963 brought traction to him as he voiced his
black nationalist views saying, “the white race in this country collectively are guilty of these crimes
that our people are suffering from". (Malcolm X first interview for British TV (1963), 2017)By
participating in nationally broadcasted interviews, he aimed to raise the public consciousness of
racism which also resulted in him becoming a prominent Civil Rights activist. This primary source
comes from a reliable extract of media presented to the public during the Civil Rights movement and
is very useful in demonstrating the back nationalist beliefs X spread. The implicit message
interpreted from this source indicates that the controversial ideas X brought to media gained him
national attention and prominence. Therefore, the black nationalist ideas X brought to the public
was fueled and influenced by the prejudice he endured throughout his life and his role in the Nation
of Islam.

Malcolm X made significant short-term changes to the Civil Rights movement due to his extreme
preaching of separatism, him leaving the Nation of Islam and subsequently furthering his education
in Africa and his assassination. Due to X being one of the many prominent figures of the Civil Rights
Movement and a national representative of the Nation of Islam, his beliefs were commonly
criticized. His positions on black freedom were seen as controversial in mainstream America due to
his focus on black people creating their own power, wealth and structure, which dismissed the
dominant ideas of integration and racial acceptance prevalent at the time. At "The Black Revolution"
Speeches in 1964, Malcolm states his extreme separatist perspective when he states, “Separation
back to Africa is still a long-range program… The political philosophy of black nationalism means: we
must control the politics and politicians of our community…” (Lowery & Marszalek, 2003) This source
reveals X’s beliefs that black people were maneuvered by white people into a life of poverty,
implying that separating these racial groups would resolve some of the struggles black people
suffered. This source is extremely useful for providing insight into the views Malcolm X was
promoting, however, the reliability of the source is limited due to X being subject to brutality from
white people, therefore he upheld and reflected negative and extreme views towards them. This is
corroborated by a white man’s perspective of X’s views on separatism, stating that, “Malcolm
refused to see the impossibility of the white man conceding secession from the United States.”
(Haley, 2015) This source is extremely useful as it a reliable excerpt that highlights how he viewed X’s
opinions as extreme and divisive after having a personal conversation with him. In addition, it
provides further corroboration of X’s advocation for separatism. Furthermore, he also presents
militaristic ideas as he believed in the idea of self-defense instead of nonviolent resistance, thus
insisting the struggle must proceed by “any means necessary.” By challenging every convention of
American society, he inspired fear and hatred among many whites and blacks alike. This is shown
when a white man presents a critical view of Malcolm X and his ideologies describing him as
“potentially dangerous. No man in our time aroused fear and hatred in the white man as did
Malcolm.” (Haley, 2015) This source originates from the time of X’s prominence, and it implies that
his detractors saw him as pro-violent, anti-white racism in pursuit of black supremacy. This source is
highly useful in providing a critical perspective of X, disagreeing with his approach of liberating the
black man rather than integrating into society, however its reliability is compromised due to the
white supremacist’s attitudes prevalent at the time. Although his views were extreme, by preaching
these ideas to the public, he contributed to the development of the Black Power movement by
promoting the values of autonomy and independence among African Americans. A group of African
American artists were talking about Malcolm and their devotion to him, expressing that they
believed “Malcolm will never betray us. We have suffered too much from betrayals in the past.”
(Haley, 2015) This comes from a balanced African American perspective at the time of X’s
prominence and shows that many people supported his radical voice as a necessary part of public
debate. This source carries the underlying message that X’s militaristic and nationalist approach
made short-term contributions at the time as he encouraged African Americans to stand up for their
own liberation and the values of autonomy. Additionally, due to the amount of attention Malcolm
was receiving compared to his mentor Elijah Muhammad, tensions were growing within the Nation
of Islam. After President Kennedy’s assassination, Malcolm’s response led him to being officially
silenced for 90 days and X publicly announced his break from the Nation of Islam in 1964 (American
Experience, n.d.). This marked another transformation because he then made the pilgrimage to
Mecca. On his pilgrimage, he had spoken with African and Middle Eastern leaders and his attitude
towards “the white man” underwent a marked changed in 1964. Malcolm states in the “Letter from
Hajj”: “Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and overwhelming spirit of true brotherhood
as is practiced by people of all colors and races here in this ancient Holy Land” (Islam, n.d.) This
comes from a reliable balanced perspective as he describes his experiences in Africa and how the
people were united despite race. This resulted in him modifying his views on black nationalism,
where X states that he “had to do a lot of thinking and reappraising of my definition of black
nationalism… I still would be hard pressed to give a specific definition of the over-all philosophy
which I think is necessary for the liberation of the black people in this country.” (Lowery &
Marszalek, 2003) These primary sources are very useful in understanding Malcolm X’s change in
belief towards white people, both implying that “whiteness” was less about colour, and more about
attitudes of oppressive supremacy. Furthermore, after splitting from the Nation, Malcolm X founded
the Muslim Mosque Inc. and the organization of Afro-American Unity which had the intention to
unify black people and to cooperate with sympathetic whites to arrest its scourge which made
impactful short-term contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. However, the Nation of Islam did
not take X’s exit lightly, and he eventually was assassinated on the 21st of February 1965 (Middleton
& Shah Idil, 2018)while he was addressing the Organisation of Afro-American Unity in Manhattan’s
Audubon Ballroom and three Nation of Islam members were tried and convicted of the murder. A
trustworthy member of the Innocence Project, Barry Scheck provided a secondary balanced
perspective stating, "The assassination of Malcolm X was a historic event that… produced one of the
most blatant miscarriages of justice that I have ever seen." (History, 2022) This source states the
significant effect X’s assassination created as it was a major injustice. It implies that his death was
another representation of racism. It contributed to the short-term impacts X had towards the Civil
Rights Movement as he was just another victim of brutality black people faced daily in society, which
emphasized the need for black liberation. Therefore, it is evident that Malcolm X made significant
short-term changes to the Civil Rights movement due to his extreme preaching of separatism, him
leaving the Nation of Islam and subsequently furthering his education in Africa and his assassination.

Malcolm X’s role in the Civil Rights Movement created impactful long-term change as he influenced
the Black Panther Party and Black Lives Matter movements to emerge as well as his philosophies and
approaches of black nationalism and policing still being prevalent today. On his pilgrimage, X met the
newly created Palestine Liberation Organisation and was one of the pioneers of a tradition of black-
Palestinian solidarity that would be continued by the Black Panther Party and the Black Lives Matter
(BLM) movement today (Awad, 2021). The trustworthy co-founder of the Black Lives Matter
movement, Patrisse Cullors presents an educated and balanced perspective stating that "Black Lives
Matter is our call to action, it is a tool to reimagine a world where black people are free to exist."
(Black Lives Matter , 2021) Cullor’s describes the mission behind BLM, being to fight against
exploitation, oppression and racism which carries X’s life and legacy. This is corroborated by
Malcolm X when at an interview for CBC-TV’s ‘Front Page Challenge’ in 1965 he states: "I don't
believe in any form of segregation or any form of racism” (Malcolm X on Front Page Challenge, 1965:
CBC Archives | CBC, 2010). This comes from a reliable balanced perspective, and he shares the same
ideologies of the BLM movement. These sources implicitly state how his politics continue to inspire
generations of activism against racism and imperialism worldwide. The Black Lives Matter movement
is also challenging the police, demanding the money spent on policing should instead be spent on
healthcare, education, and community programs. Both X and BLM shared the idea that the
institution of the police is fundamentally corrupt which is evident through Malcolm X’s response to
the killing of one member of the Nation of Islam and seven others being wounded at the hands of
police on April 27th, 1962. Malcolm addresses police brutality in a speech on May 20 th, 1962: “We are
oppressed. We are exploited. We are downtrodden. We are denied not only civil rights but even
human rights." (Malcolm X’s Fiery Speech Addressing Police Brutality, 2018) This comes from a black-
nationalist perspective describing the reality of police brutality towards black people at the time,
implying that a major factor contributing to racism was the corruption of the police. This is especially
useful in drawing the connection between the generational impact of the police institution and how
police brutality is still prevalent today. Therefore, X’s view on the police created a long-term effect
that continue to shape and influence groups such as Black Lives Matter and there fight for equality. It
is evident that Malcolm X created long and meaningful impact towards the fight for black liberation
as he influenced the Black Panther Party and Black Lives Matter movements to emerge, and his
beliefs about the police and approaches of black nationalism still being prevalent today

Malcolm X made significant long-term and short-term changes to the Civil Rights; however, his black
nationalist and militaristic approach made some people see him as a divisive figure. This is evident
through the formation of Malcolm’s views caused by his upbringing and his following of the Nation
of Islam, his short-term impacts through his extreme preaching of separatism, leaving the Nation of
Islam and his assassination and his long-term impacts as he influenced the Black Panther Party and
Black Lives Matter movements to emerge.

Word Count: 2496

References
American Experience. (n.d.). Timeline of Malcolm X's Life. Retrieved from American Experience:
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/malcolmx-timeline-malcolm-xs-
life/

Awad, S. (2021). A visual history of Black-Palestinian solidarity. Retrieved from Middle East:
https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/palestine-black-lives-matter-solidarity-pictures

Black Lives Matter (2021). [Motion Picture].

Haley, A. (2015). The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Ballantine Books.

History. (2022). The Assassination of Malcolm X. Retrieved from History: www.history.com

Islam. (n.d.). Malcolm X's (Al-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz) Letter from Mecca. Retrieved from Islam.

Khan Academy. (2018). Introduction to the Civil Rights Movement. Retrieved from Khan Academy:
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/postwarera/civil-rights-movement/
a/introduction-to-the-civil-rights-movement#:~:text=The%20Civil%20Rights%20Movement
%20is,period%20from%201946%20to%201968.

Lawrence, M. (2022). Malcolm X. Retrieved from Britannica:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Malcolm-X

Lowery, C., & Marszalek, J. (2003). The Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Civil Rights.
London.

Malcolm X first interview for British TV (1963) (2017). [Motion Picture].

Malcolm X on Front Page Challenge, 1965: CBC Archives | CBC (2010). [Motion Picture].

Malcolm X’s Fiery Speech Addressing Police Brutality (2018). [Motion Picture].

Mass Moments. (n.d.). Malcolm X Imprisioned. Retrieved from

https://www.massmoments.org/moment-details/malcolm-x-imprisoned.html

Middleton, K., & Shah Idil, A. (2018). Big Thinker: Malcolm X. Retrieved from Ethics:
https://ethics.org.au/big-thinker-malcolm-x/#:~:text=Malcolm%20X
%20(1925%E2%80%941965),socially%20divisive%20advocate%20of%20violence.

Terry, G. (2020). Black Power Scholar Illustrates How MLK And Malcolm X Influenced Each Other.
Retrieved from NPR: https://www.npr.org/2020/08/12/901632573/black-power-scholar-
illustrates-how-mlk-and-malcolm-x-influenced-each-other#:~:text=%22Malcolm%20X%20is
%20really%20scarred,important%20churches%20in%20Black%20Atlanta.%22