Throughout our country's history, many African Americans have contributed to the success of our country. Although we have not given African Americans the credit that they deserve, the month of February has been set aside to recognize all of their many achievements. I think one of the greatest and most influential African American, other than Dr. Martin Luther King, was Malcolm X.
             Malcolm X later knew also by the religious name El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, was an African American activist. His militant views that Western nations were inherently racist and that black people must join together to build their own society and value system had an important influence on black nationalist and black separatist movements of the 1950s and 1960s. His beliefs gained a broader audience through his autobiography, published after his assassination. Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska. He was the son of Earl Little, a Baptist preacher, and his wife, Louise. The family moved to Lansing, Michigan, shortly after Malcolm's birth. Earl Little was an outspoken promoter of social and economic independence for blacks and a supporter of the "Back to Africa" movement of black nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. In 1931 Earl Little was killed, probably murdered by white terrorists because of his political and social activism. His father's death had a disastrous effect on Malcolm and his family. His mother suffered a nervous breakdown, and the welfare department took the eight little children away from her. Malcolm was placed in a foster home and then in reform school. In 1941 he went to live with his half-sister in Boston. There he soon entered the fringes of the underworld, and at the age of 17, he moved to Harlem in New York City. Known as Detroit Red, Malcolm turned to a life of crime, including drug dealing and armed robbery. When he was 20, Malcolm received a sentence of ten years in prison for burglary.
             While in prison, Malcolm became...