4 – He Was Constantly Judged By His Color During his Youth
When you consider his life story, it gets easier to understand why Malcolm X had such distaste for white America. As a child, he witnessed his family getting harassed and threatened by white supremacist groups for no other reason than they were black and Earl refused to play the role of the servile negro. Malcolm staunchly believes his father was murdered by white men, and a large insurance company run by white men cheated his family out of money. The strain on Louise caused a breakdown and she was placed in a mental facility by white authorities, while his family was broken up.
His disdain for white people only grew while at school and in foster care. Although the Swerlin family, the couple that ran the detention home he was in, was kind to him, they still viewed him as inferior because of his race. Nonetheless, Malcolm responded positively and his school performance improved to the point where he was elected class president while in the seventh grade. The Swerlins were delighted because the young man was learning how to succeed according to the terms of white society and Malcolm was becoming a subservient black male who ‘knew his place’.
In the eighth grade, Malcolm was speaking to his English teacher, a man named Mr. Ostrowski. Malcolm said he wanted to become a lawyer but Ostrowski shot down the suggestion by saying it was “no realistic goal for a nigger.” According to the teacher, Malcolm should focus on a more ‘attainable’ goal such as being a carpenter. Malcolm was extremely upset because he had witnessed Ostrowski give very different advice to white students, even those of inferior intellect to Malcolm.
By now, he realized that he was getting judged on the basis of color rather than capabilities. Before this incident, Malcolm paid little attention to the abusive comments he received as a black man but afterward, he started taking notice and reacted to it. The previously bright and bubbly young man was replaced by a sullen and moody teenager. The Swerlins were concerned about him but by then, Ella had already visited him. After visiting Ella in Boston, Malcolm decided to move there and was transferred to his half-sister’s custody. Later, he wrote that it was the most significant move of his life. Had he stayed in Mason, he would have become a “brainwashed black Christian.” However, life in Boston took a dark turn.