Malcolm (not so little) Little
As a teenager, he lived with his older half sister, Ella. Malcolm was a smart, focused student. He graduated from junior high at the top
of his class. However, when a favorite teacher told Malcolm his dream of
becoming a lawyer was "no realistic goal for a nigger," Malcolm lost interest in school. He worked as a waiter in Harlem and until he got addicted to cocaine and turned to crime. He was convicted of Burglary in 1946 and was sentenced to ten years of prison. Whilst in prison, he found interests in the teachings of Muhammad and converted to the Black Muslim faith. When he was released from prison in 1952 (he was paroled after serving seven years), he moved to Chicago where he met Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Nation of Islam (NOI) sect. Later, he changed his last name to X, because it was custom for Muhammad's followers to relinquish their slaveholder's last name, and he chose X for the last name he did not know of.
of his class. However, when a favorite teacher told Malcolm his dream of
becoming a lawyer was "no realistic goal for a nigger," Malcolm lost interest in school. He worked as a waiter in Harlem and until he got addicted to cocaine and turned to crime. He was convicted of Burglary in 1946 and was sentenced to ten years of prison. Whilst in prison, he found interests in the teachings of Muhammad and converted to the Black Muslim faith. When he was released from prison in 1952 (he was paroled after serving seven years), he moved to Chicago where he met Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Nation of Islam (NOI) sect. Later, he changed his last name to X, because it was custom for Muhammad's followers to relinquish their slaveholder's last name, and he chose X for the last name he did not know of.