Malcolm X: life, legacy, and impact

Malcolm X was one of the founding leaders of the Black Islamic Movement within the United States. He is viewed by many to be the second most influential black leader within the Civil Rights era, behind only Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His ability to rally crowds around him and his strength as the spokesperson of Black Islam allowed the African-American rights to gain both notoriety and public debate within the mainstream. Malcolm X has had several turning points in his life that were both results of choice and of inevitable social pressure. In the following analysis, there are three crucial turning points that dramatically changed the course of Malcolm X's life.

The first turning point was when Malcolm X dropped out of high school and went into the foster care and detention system. Malcolm X graduated from junior high school at the top of his class; he believed that he had unheralded promise and ability. However, one of his high school teachers told him that he would never be able to become a lawyer because it was "no realistic goal for a nigger." This was a turning point in his life because it made him realize the reality of racism within the United States, and propelled him into his initial life of crime and disillusionment. This turning point was forced upon him, Malcolm X felt that society had judged him inadequate based on his race and thus he retaliated by attempting to escape. It led him to a life of abusive foster homes, detention centers and finally the underbelly of the Boston underworld.

The second turning point in his life came after he entered prison for burglary. He was imprisoned for over five years and during that time discovered the Nation of Islam. Through correspondence with his brother Reginald and Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the movement, he was convinced to convert and thus began his "true freedom." This decision would inevitably move him towards becoming one of the most important black leaders of American history. It was one made of free will and it deeply impacted him in his time in prison. He later reflected, "Months passed without my even thinking about being imprisoned. In fact, up to then, I had never been so truly free in my life." The effects of Black Islam were evident on him and it dramatically changed the direction and focus of his life.

The final turning point occurred when he left the Nation of Islam to start his own Muslim Mosque Inc. This occurred because he realized that Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam cheated on his wife. This decision was partly his own, but mostly the result of circumstance as it forced him to become disillusioned with the very organization and leadership that he devoted his life to. It also resulted in his pilgrimage to Mecca, the consequence of these two events allowed him to cherish Islamic culture and his understanding of the religion. It also resulted in his converting to an orthodox Muslim.