Malcolm X made many mistakes concerning women. In his famous autobiography Malcolm X tells us the story of his life but upon further examination all the women in his life end up on the short end of the stick.
Malcolm X and Laura
Laura was the young girl who befriends Malcolm X when he was a young man of 14 years old and working as a soda fountain clerk. Laura later becomes a drug addict and a prostitute. Malcolm admits his role in her demise and even tells Alex Haley that he wrecked her life. Laura incidentally was the only women to have a chapter named after her.
Malcolm X and Sophia
Sophia was the white girl that Malcolm chose over Laura at a dance. She was a white girl that obvious had jungle fever and became a main stay in his young hustler life. Malcolm later convinces her and her sister to become accomplices in his robbery scheme. Later, after holding out on a piece of jewelry and gets caught with a gun, Malcolm turns states evidence against them and they both were given time in the women's reformatory.
Malcolm X and Ella
Ella was Malcolm' X s older half sister that moved him from foster care to Boston to live with her. She was Malcolm's guardian and loved him dearly. Ella was his closest ally during his life. When he went to prison it was Ella that worked feverishly to move him from maximum to minimum security. But, when Malcolm left the Nation of Islam and made his trip to Mecca, Ella a orthodox Muslim, had been saving her own money for the trip to Mecca and the Hajj for herself. Malcolm convinced her to loan him her savings so he could go instead, Ella agreed and Malcolm admits to Alex Haley before he died that he never paid her back. Even after he had received several book advances from his autobiography.
Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz
Malcolm X's wife Betty Shabazz bore him six daughters. She was a perfect Muslim wife and mother, dedicated to her husband and his cause. However, when Malcolm split from the Nation of Islam, Malcolm states that the only argument she ever gave him was his inability to save money. She knew that once the split was final Malcolm X would be cut off from the Nation's payroll and even their home would be taken from them since it belonged to Nation of Islam. Malcolm didn't listen. But even worst, when Malcolm X was assassinated, Betty Shabazz was left with no money to bury her husband. Even though he was under death threats and predicted that he would never live to see his autobiography finished, Malcolm X never bought life insurance for his wife and children.
There are other women that received minor attention in Malcolm' X s autobiography such as a prostitute that belong to his pimp friend Sammy. She was slapped out of anger by Malcolm because of an ill-advised and failed robbery attempt that Malcolm planned but got Sammy shot. Finally, Elijah Muhammad's mistress's who were used by Malcolm X to file paternity charges against Elijah Muhammad so that he could slander Mr. Muhammad and build his own organizations. Alex Haley writes that Malcolm X took the women to the attorney to file these charges against Elijah Muhammad and it was Malcolm X that did the talking on behalf of the women. These mistakes Malcolm X made concerning women are all taken from his own words in his autobiography and they paint a very dismal picture of our beloved yet controversial leader.
Derek Lavelle learned the truth about Malcolm X while training in a boxing camp named after Muhammad Ali. Older Muslins spelled out the complete truth that Malcolm never told in his autobiography. Read it all in The Many Mistakes of Malcolm X. Click here: http://www.squidoo.com/MalcolmXbiography
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