Malcolm's View Change About White People example essay topic

How did Malcolm's view change about white people? Malcolm X was one of the primary religious leaders and reformers of the 1960, where he fought for and ultimately gave his life for racial equality in the United States. His father was a reverend who believed in self-determination and worked for the unity of black people. Throughout Malcolm's life he was treated horribly by white people, hence shaping his misconceptions of all white people and developing his strong belief in black separatism.

It wasn't until years later where he embraced his black identity and discovered all races could live and work together for a common goal, brotherhood. Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska. Malcolm's father believed in self-determination and worked for the unity of black people. Malcolm was raised in a background of ethnic awareness and dignity, but violence was started by white racists trying to prevent black people from succeeding. From the very beginning, even though Malcolm had not discovered his black identity, he had a very clear picture of what it meant to be black in the United States. As a young child, Malcolm, his parents, brothers, and sisters were shot at, harassed, threatened and burned out of their home.

One of Malcolm's earliest memories was when the set his family's house on fire as the "white police and fireman stood around and watched our house burn to the ground" (p. 3). This type of racism ultimately led to the demise of his father by white racists when Malcolm was six. The belief was he was attacked by "the white Black Legion had finally gotten him" (p. 10). Instead of going to school to get a traditional education, he dropped out of school at fifteen and learned the ways of the streets. Malcolm associated himself with thugs, thieves, dope dealers, and pimps. He was convicted of burglary at age twenty and remained in prison until he was twenty-seven.

During his prison sentence, he became a changed man. He educated himself and he learned about and joined the Nation of Islam, studying the teachings of Elijah Muhammed. Elijah taught Malcolm how history had been "whitened by the white man" (p. 184) and he echoed "the black convict's lifelong experience" where "the white man is the devil", (p. 186). This thought process encouraged many black inmates to discover the Nation of Islam. Malcolm went on to become a minister where he spoke to his fellow Muslims and told them "next time you see a white man, think about the devil you are seeing... your foreparents' bloody, sweaty backs that built his empire... ". (p. 217).

He spoke of how the black race needed to come together, without the help of white people, and become a strong union. He wanted the black community to start "self-correcting his own material, moral, and spiritual defects" (p. 281). Malcolm shared the same belief as the racist white man when it came to interracial relationships: "in a world as color-hostile as this... what do they want with a mate of the other race" (p. 282). Malcolm believed that the black race should not date or marry outside of their race as it would only create grief. It wasn't until Malcolm visited the Holy City of Mecca in 1964 and experienced the true Muslim religion. He learned that all people, regardless of their color, could live together peacefully and lovingly "while praying to the same god" (p. 347).

He then realized his "life has been a chronology of -changes" (p. 346). He concluded that he needed to "re-arrange" his "thought patterns previously held... and toss aside... my previous conclusions" (p. 347) He discovered that "we were truly all the same (brothers)... because of their belief in one God" (p. 347). Malcolm's views on white people would be forever changed by his experience to the Holy Land. In conclusion, one can easily see why Malcolm's prejudices were so strong against the white race. His earliest memories were those of the white people terrorizing his family.

He led his life in the struggle to help the black race succeed and free themselves of their dependency on white people. Finally, when Malcolm went on his pilgrimage to Mecca he began to reconsider changing his views towards integration and black separatism. He was deeply touched by this experienced when he saw in his pilgrimage that Whites and Blacks could live in brotherhood and unity.