Essay on Leaders of the Nation of Islam - 3021 Words

Leaders of Nations The Nation of Islam impacted many African American people during its time. This Black Muslim nation demanded adherence to basic teachings, which included racial separation, white devilry, and the coming Armageddon. None of these basic teachings supported James Baldwin’s perceptions, which pitied whites for their inability to see through the color curtain and embrace differences that whites and blacks held together to create a better, inexorable, and supreme nation. Leaders such as Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X provided the vision of the Nation of Islam. These moguls proved to be two of the most powerful leaders of their time. They paved their way through history and rightfully landed a spot belonging to†¦show more content†¦From his speeches on the radio and in newspapers, many people also thought of Muhammad as a fierce man, among these people was Baldwin. On first meeting Muhammad, Baldwin shows his surprise by saying â€Å"I [had] associated him with f erocity. But, no – the man who came into the room was small and slender, really very delicately put together, with a thin face, large, warm eyes, and a most winning smile† (Baldwin 323). Muhammad was a regular man that merely exuded confidence and carried himself with pride. He had a powerful air around him, because he meant every single word that escaped his mouth. As superior of the Islam movement, Muhammad helped integrate the movement’s demand within as many black communities as he could. He started out with implementing a grocery store in a nearby black community with nothing but Muslim employees. Then slowly a restaurant and a bakery came to pass. Muhammad was well on his way to proving to blacks that they could accomplish their own needs without having â€Å"to demand [anything of] the white devil or resort to him† (Clegg 50). According to a New York Times article written by Peter Kihss, the movements demand was simply â€Å"[s]eparation, not integ ration†¦ land of our own† (â€Å"Negro Extremist† 1). The black nation of Islam wanted four or five states to be turned over as payment for 300 years of slave labor. This way blacks could more establish themselves asShow MoreRelatedMalcolm X As A Leader Of The Nation Of Islam1367 Words   |  6 Pages Born Malcolm Little, and later changing it to el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz and finally changing it to Malcolm X which it signifies his rejection to his slave name â€Å"Little†. In his early 20’s Malcolm X became a leader in the Nation of Islam. He was the first man to bring together African American culture and Islamic culture. Before his assassination in 1965, X moved to New York City (Harlem) and was involved in drugs, gambling, racketeering, robbery, and a procurer. He would usually have sex with anyoneRead MoreMalcolm X : A Leader Of The Nation Of Islam1424 Words   |  6 PagesMalcolm X was a leader who, was the spokesman for the Nation of Islam, an African American political and religious movement, embraced the Black Power philosophy. Malcolm Little was born May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska, the fourth of seven children. His Father was a local leader of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and his mother served as secretary and branch reporter, sending news of local UNIA activities to Negro World, a weekly newspaper established in New York, they inculcatedRead MoreMalcolm X Biography Essay1085 Words   |  5 Pagesthen the man who would be known as Malcolm X. Unlike many of the civil rights leaders of the time who promoted non violence, Malcolm X believed in the use of aggressive tactics in his battle for equality. Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska to Earl and Louise Little. 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Malcolm X was a strong willed man with huge ideas for the civil rights of African Americans that created a huge following of peop le for him. He did not feel that nonviolent approaches towards civil rightsRead MoreMalcolm X Essay1670 Words   |  7 Pagesfor the ways he went about trying to fix the way African Americans were being treated because he did so in a violent fashion instead of peacefully, but many people do not know the full story of Malcolm X. Malcolm X was a very important civil rights leader. Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little to Earl and Louise Little on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska (Global). He grew up with 9 siblings. Malcolm Little’s family had many struggles when he was a kid. His father had had three of his brothers killed byRead MoreMalcolm X Essay855 Words   |  4 Pagesof the most prominent and controversial leaders during the civil rights era of the 1950’s and 1960’s. 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