Malcolm X had many achievements. First and most importantly, he was a large contributor to increasing the Muslim population in America from 500 in 1952 to over 30,000 by 1963. In 1954, he became a leader of a mosque in Chicago, only two years after being released from prison. Next, Malcolm X founded a newspaper for the Nation of Islam, which was called Muhammad Speaks, which was established in 1957. The paper was very popular for the Nation of Islam and is still published today, though is now called Muslim Journal, renamed after Elijah Muhammad's death. Malcolm X was a model for an extremely popular black rights group called the Black Panther Party. The Black Panther Party (BPP) was established in the 1950s and used Malcolm X's radical ways to become popular. They stood up to racist authorities and were extremely successful by 1967; they were a national organization and had groups from the BPP in 15 states. The BPP stressed the same ideas as Malcolm X such as self-defense for blacks and rejecting American values. The BPP declined in 1980, and officially ended in 1982. Additionally, Malcolm X founded two organizations which were called the Muslim Mosque, Inc. (MMI), which was an organization that taught Islamic religion, and the Organization of Afro-American Unity, which was an organization that fought for black rights. "The Muslim Mosque Inc., which means that we are still Muslims - we still worship a Mosque and we're still incorporated as a religious body." These words were said by Malcolm X in an interview when asked about the Muslim Mosque, Inc. In 1964, the population of the MMI was roughly 125, but was soon discontinued after his death in 1965. Another achievement that Malcolm X had was that he wrote a 400 page autobiography, published in 1965, the year of his death. His autobiography laid the foundation for the Black Power Movement. The Black Power Movement highlighted black pride and was made to promote black values. The Black Power Movement lasted from the late 1960s to the early 1970s. Next, many organizations were named in honor of Malcolm X, including the Malcolm X society and Malcolm X Liberation University in Durham, North Carolina. Malcolm X also converted a very famous boxer, Cassius Clay, to the Nation of Islam. Cassius Clay later changed his name to a more well known Muhammad Ali. Ali soon "betrayed" Malcolm X, but he stated that it "was one of the mistakes I regret most in my life." Malcolm was also a great philosopher, and inspiring speaker, and wrote many speeches. Malcolm X was a much more radical speaker than others, such as Martin Luther King Jr., but they both worked for gaining rights of African-Americans. Malcolm believed actions spoke louder than words, but King felt the opposite. King wanted a more peaceful movement. Finally, he was considered the voice for the Nation of Islam by Elijah Muhammad, as he spoke for Muslims radically and had a large impact on the population. Through his radical ways, Malcolm X was considered as one of the largest helpers in gaining independence and equality for black Muslims in America. Though he was assassinated at a young age of 39, his achievements were huge factors in gaining rights for black Muslims. In conclusion, Malcolm X's achievements support the reasoning that he should win the Achievements in Rights award, and his achievements left a strong lasting impact on America and the Nation of Islam.
Malcolm X holds up the Nation of Islams' newspaper, Muhammad Speaks. Photo courtesy of: thecahokian.blogspot.com