Why Did Malcolm X Change His Name?

By Rahul Gupta On Feb 11, 2023

So, Malcolm is one of the great people who did a lot to get rid of the seeds of racism and discrimination against black people in the United States.

Facing himself from the start made Malcolm realize what other black people in the United States had to go through, which made him the most powerful voice for black groups that wanted to tell the world that racial discrimination should end.

But there are still some things about Malcolm’s life that aren’t clear. For example, why did he change his name? Was he ever sent to prison? But what really matters is how he died.

This article will tell you everything you need to know about some unknown questions that everyone wants to know the answer to.

You might not have heard of Malcolm X, but he was a well-known revolutionary in the 1960s, and many revolutionaries today still look up to him for what he did and how he worked during a time when racial discrimination was common.

Well, he was both a revolutionary and a controversial figure who preached that black Afro-Americans should be respected and treated the same as white people.

Malcolm X, whose real name was Malcolm Little and not Malcolm X, was an American minister and human rights activist. He was also the main supporter of black nationalism in the US.

He worked for racial equality and black rights in the United States. He is best known for his speeches, his books, his writings, and his activism.

As a young boy, he also felt that white people treated him unfairly because of his race. Because of this, young Malcolm always had to deal with racism and threats of harassment from white people.

Why Did Malcolm Change His Name?

Malcolm’s first name was Malcolm Little, but he later changed it to Malcolm X. Why did he do this?

Malcolm went to jail in 1946, where he had a lot of free time to do whatever he wanted. This gave him a lot of time to read, and he read a lot of Islamic books that taught him about Islamic philosophy.

This led him to join the Nation of Islam, which was a group of Black Muslims who supported black nationalism and was made up of people in prison.

And so, in this process of supporting and respecting Islamic traditions, ideas, and philosophies while learning a lot about them, Malcolm changed his name from Malcolm Little to Malcolm.

This was because “Little” was associated with slavery, and “X” was the name of his true African ancestors, which Malcolm didn’t know.

So, when he changed his name, he also changed his religion to Islam. When he went to prison, he became the leader of the Nation of Islam.

The message of Black empowerment and self-reliance that he saw in Islam and the Nation of Islam made him want to learn more and join.

Was Malcolm Ever Jailed? Why?

Malcolm has been arrested more than once. In 1946, he was arrested for larceny and breaking and entering, which sent him to prison, but it was worth it for him because he was able to learn and understand the philosophy of Islam, which helped him see his vision.

But even after that, he was arrested more than once because of the controversial speeches he gave in public and the kind of activism he did, which led to riots and hurt the peace of the country.

It’s clear that he was arrested more than once to stop him from spreading his message of black nationalism and racial equality.