Malcolm X is most widely known as a civil rights activist. He was a leader of black people in America who is now generally known as being an anti-white activist. Many of his speaking years were spent preaching the teachings of Elijah Muhammad who proclaims that black people are righteous and white people are genetically altered from blacks to be devils. But, the last of his years were spent trying to counter this message and teach true Muslim beliefs in which people are equal. Such a radical change is stance makes Malcolm X unique among other civil rights activists of his time.
             Malcolm spent his child years in Michigan where his father, Earl Little, was killed by white racists and his mother, breaking under the pressure of raising eight children alone, was institutionalized. Because he was without parents, Malcolm was moved through a number of small towns in Michigan. He was an achieving student, earning high grades in all of his classes and got along well with the other students, black and white alike. He made such a good impression on the other students that he was elected class president. Although, he always felt that the white people in school viewed him as inferior. He was once told by his English teacher, "We all here like you, you know that. But you've got to be realistic about being a nigger. A lawyer – that's no realistic goal for a nigger." (Haley 43). Despite advice like this, Malcolm was intelligent enough to be successful in any field he chose and was on his way to integration with the white society.
             Malcolm began a relationship of letters with his half-sister, Ella, who was living in Boston. She offered Malcolm a place to live if he were to move to Boston from Michigan. He agreed and moved in with Ella. Malcolm underwent a drastic change while living in Boston, which was to continue until he learned about the Nation of Islam while in prison at the age of 21. He immediately ...