MALCOLM X
& THE 4 PHASES: A
GUIDELINE FOR YOUTH
By Manu Ampim
Malcolm X
(1925-1965) is an important U.S.
political figure in the mid-20th century, as his life and legacy
have received significant international attention. Malcolm X’s political work in the
1950s-1960s has been discussed in countless forums, enacted in plays, written
about in numerous essays and books, and shown in a number of movies and
documentaries. There have also been many
buildings, streets, libraries, community centers, colleges, and even children
named after Malcolm. His Autobiography
is required reading in a number of high school and college classes in North
America and Britain. Although, there has been extraordinary
attention on Malcolm X’s
political ideas and philosophy, yet the question of how does his
life and legacy specifically relate to the development of Black youth has not
been effectively addressed. Many Black
youth are exposed to crime and drugs, and a large number of them end up as
statistics in the juvenile and adult prison system.
An important question is how does the example of Malcolm’s life provide guidance for
youth and instructions of what not to do and how to avoid traps. If viewed from this perspective -- of how to avoid social and legal
traps – then Malcolm’s life is more real and relevant to the daily challenges
faced by Black youth. According to the
San Francisco-based Center on Juvenile & Criminal Justice (www.cjcj.org),
throughout the U.S. African
American youth represent 15% of the population, 26% of juvenile arrests, 44% of
youth who are detained, 46% of the youth who are judicially sent to adult
criminal court, and 58% of the youth admitted to state prisons. Incarceration rates of African Americans and
other non-whites are so high that criminal justice has become the civil rights
movement of this generation.
Source: Building Blocks for Youth, "And Justice for Some,"
April 2000
Also see: http://www.buildingblocksforyouth.org/colorofjustice/
These arrest and incarceration
statistics clearly show that African American youth have not received enough
guidance to avoid the juvenile and adult prison system. Malcolm X’s political ideas are important but
what is perhaps more important is for youth to understanding the main four
phases of Malcolm’s life and how to avoid the same traps.
Malcolm embarked on a life of
crime in the streets of Boston and New York from age 16 and
eventually got caught and served 78 months in prison, from the ages of 20-27
years. After serving his time, Malcolm
emerged as one of the great leaders of the 20th century, but what if
he had not lost valuable years of his development from ages 16-27? The question is, What
can we take from Malcolm’s life to help prevent so many youth from either
losing direction or even losing their lives?
MALCOLM
X: THE FOUR PHASES:*
There are four key phases in Malcolm X’s life that could
be used as guide posts for Black people guiding and directing their youth in
the U.S., Canada, and Britain. To view Malcolm’s life and legacy from this
perspective and establish relevant prevention progams, could help reduce
the reckless abandon of many Black youth.
Phase ONE: “Malcolm Little”
(Birth-15 years old) 1925 - early 1941
Malcolm was born as “Malcolm Little” on May
19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska to the parents of Earl and Louise
Little. Malcolm was the seventh of eight
children. His family had moved to Michigan to avoid racist
threats because of Earl Little’s
preaching of Marcus Garveyite philosophy. When Malcolm was only 6 years old his father
was murdered by white supremacists. Mrs.
Little struggled but was able to keep her family together and support her 8
children with some government assistance until Malcolm was about 11 years. However in 1937, when Malcolm was 12, the
eight children of the Little family, were split up by
the Michigan State Welfare System into different homes to be supported by other
families. Malcolm’s mother, Louise Little, was considered incapable of supporting the children
and was eventually sent to a mental institution.
Until this time, although Malcolm
had problems after losing his father and his mother being less and less able to
support her 8 children, Malcolm remained an exceptional student at Mason Junior
High School.
He was elected class president in the 7th grade and remained one
of the top three students in the 8th grade. However, after being discouraged about
becoming a lawyer by his white English teacher Mr. Ostrowski,
who saw Malcolm as just another “nigger,” Malcolm lost interest in school.
After completing the 8th
grade in 1941, Malcolm moved from rural Michigan
to the big city of Boston, Massachusetts to live with his older sister
Ella. Being exposed to Boston city life with its fast money and
crime would dramatically alter Malcolm’s life and end his innocent childhood
phase.
Phase TWO: “Detroit
Red”
(16-27 years old) 1941-1952
After moving to Boston,
despite Ella’s positive guidance, Malcolm was involved in the street life and
crime in Boston and Harlem. He eventually got caught for burglary and
spent 6½ years in state prison from February 1946 - August 1952 (20-27 years
old). While in prison, Malcolm was
assisted by a jailhouse philosopher named Bimbi and
members of his family (Wilfred, Philbert, Ella, and
Reginald) to help turn his life around. Bimbi taught him the value of study and learning, and his
siblings introduced Malcolm to the Nation of Islam organization and the black nationalist teachings of Elijah Muhammad.
Phase THREE: “Malcolm X” (national leader)
(27-38 years) 1952-1963
In August 1952 at age 27, Malcolm was released from prison
and went to Detroit
to start a new phase in his life. He
became Minister Malcolm X and the National Spokesperson for Elijah Muhammad and
the Nation of Islam. At age 33, Malcolm
married Betty Shabazz in 1958 and they had 6
daughters together. Malcolm and his
family moved from Detroit to Harlem, NY. In the New
York spotlight, Malcolm soon became a national figure
and one of the most successful and respected black leaders in the African
American liberation movement of the 1960s.
Phase FOUR: Malcolm X / El Hajj Malik el Shabazz
(38-39 years old) 1964-1965
In March 1964, Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam and
traveled to various countries and became recognized as an international
leader. After he returned from Mecca, Saudi
Arabia, Malcolm began to occasionally use
the name “El Hajj Malik el Shabazz.” When Malcolm X returned to the U.S., he
started his own organization called the Organization of Afro-American
Unity. In February 1965, Malcolm X was
assassinated in the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem
by several black Muslims who were loyal to the Nation of Islam.
If we analyze the four phases
of Malcolm X’s life, it is the 1st and 3rd phases that
are critically important to guiding and developing Black youth. The task is to develop “Malcolm Littles” and guide them to the 3rd phase of
“Malcolm X,” without them getting trapped in the “Detroit Red” or the thug
phase.
Thus, one of the most significant
reasons to review Malcolm X’s life is to understand the four phases of
his life and how to help Black youth avoid the problems and pitfalls that
Malcolm endured from 16-27 years of age (Phase two: “Detroit Red”). The task is to set up the programs and
processes to assist youth who grow up without both of their parents and who are
essentially “raised” by the gangs or the streets. During the 1st Phase of Malcolm’s life he had
the strong support of his family and was a top student, and in 3rd
phase he was a national leader who worked diligently to build and develop the
Black community. Thus, the focus on
Malcolm’s life should be to figure out how to establish a permanent bridge from
the “Malcolm Little” to the “Malcolm X” phase.
*I was first introduced to this 4 Phase analysis of Malcolm
X by Prof. Abdul Alkalimat at an Oxford University
Summer Session course in 1989. The details of the four phases of Malcolm X's life are discussed in his Autobiography.