Malcolm X

Psy. Leadership

Final Paper

The X

"The problem itself was created by the white man and it was created because the white man brought us here in chains against our will. It was crime. And the one who committed that crime is the criminal who should payÐ'... You don't putt the crime in jail, you put the criminal in jail. And kidnapping is a crime. Slavery is a crime. Lynching is a crime".

These are the words of a militant black leader name Malcolm X. Malcolm X was a leader who took risks, he inspired a shared vision and he lead by example. In our world today Malcolm X message may not be as powerful as it was in 1963. However the movie

Malcolm X, starring Denzel Washington who received an Oscar nomination for the performance in this movie, displayed how he/Malcolm grown, learned and developed into an influential African -American leader.

The movie helps you to understand where the angry come from within Malcolm. Malcolm father was an outspoken minister/speaker who was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan. His mother had a nervous breakdown due to his father's deaf and she was committed; as a result, Malcolm and his sibling were put into foster care.

Years later, Reds (nickname at the time) got involved in criminal activity, which in the end lead him to prison. While his was in prison he took an interest in Islam and ultimately converted to the Muslim religion. When he was released from prison that's when he decided to change his name to Malcolm X. The reason being is because he considered last names as slave names. The Nation of Islam "Elijah Muhammad" made Malcolm a minister. This position allowed Malcolm to travel around the country to speak about segregation, black pride and a black GOD. Malcolm X preached the opposite of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. he was not for civil right movement to integrate blacks and whites. He once stated "While King was having a dream, the rest of us Negroes are having a nightmare."

Model the way, Years' later Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad relationship deteriorated because Malcolm learned that Muhammad was not the man he thought he was. He learned that Elijah was secretly having sexual relation with as many as six women in the Nation of Islam. Some of these relationship resulted in children. Malcolm thought Muhammad was a fake and Elijah silenced Malcolm X for his statement regarding John F. Kennedy assassination. "the chickens coming home to roost"-a repayment for America continuing failure to end racial cruelty and hatred.

His statement was taking out of context, he was trying to make the point that the violent treatment of blacks had now come back to the violence against a white president. However, it was insensitive. As a result, Malcolm left from up under Elijah Muhammad ministry and became the founder of Muslim Mosque Incorporated.

Challenging the process, Malcolm was constantly finding new ways to reach people. He would stand in front of churches, bus station, and corners to recruit people. He eventually realized he needed a change, so he went to Mecca, the holy Muslim city of Saudi Arabia. There he learned that he made a mistake by thinking all white men are evil because there in Mecca were people of all color. When Malcolm returned, he held a meeting and he stop promoting segregation and started promoting integration and a world of brother-hood of all colors. He encourages blacks to vote and to participate in the political system and to work with each other such as whites, blacks and hispanics. He wanted stop racial discrimination.

Unfortunately, the change did impact everyone because informants working in the Nation of Islam warned Malcolm that he was marked for assassination. He's friend was ordered to plant a bomb in his car.

Malcolm