Malcolm Malcolm was a very gifted inspirational speaker. Through his dedication and leadership during the 1950s and 1960s, he grew the Nation of Islam's following to over 400,000 members. Malcolm X encouraged blacks not to become victims of racism by any means necessary. In the year 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated in front of his wife and children while giving a speech at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan. Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, he was the fourth of eight children born to Louise and Earl Little. Malcolm X's father was a member of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, his mother was a housewife. Malcolm X experienced racism while being hurt by his mother. At age 4, Malcolm X remembered hooded members of the Ku Klux Klan destroying their home. Racism continued to shatter their lives. Therefore, his father decided to move the family from Omaha to East Lansing. Malcolm . Two years later, Earl Little's body was found lying on the municipal streetcar tracks. Louise Little, never recovered from her husband's death; she was later committed to a mental institution, and Malcolm thereafter left home to live with family and friends. Malcolm X attended school and achieved good academic results; he was the only black student in class. His goal was to become the first black lawyer. The defining moment in Malcolm's life was when he shared his career goal with his teacher. Malcolm's teacher stated that “one of the first needs of life is to be realistic”…… middle of paper…… His continuous and discontinuous development was not mature enough to understand what the family encountered. As Malcolm X began to mature, he understood the meaning of racism and the years of cruelty and harassment endured by his parents. Nature and nurture were part of Malcolm X's life, he was genetically exposed to racism before birth due to his parents' heritage. His early life experiences and the negative environment he lived in led him to become angry towards white Americans. However, through his development and qualitative change in his feelings, thoughts, and behaviors transformed him into an important black civil rights leader. (Berk, L. 2010). ReferenceBerk, L (2010). Development across the lifespan. Boston, Massachusetts Malcolm X (2014). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved March 4, 2014 at 04:02 from http://www.biography.com/people/moltrem-x-9396195