Malcolm X

On the days that bookended Dr. King’s holiday and the second inauguration of President Barack Obama, my seventh grade students spent their time playing a board game entitled, “The Game of Life: Malcolm X Style,” created by one of their classmates.  We began our study of the American Civil Rights movement with a biography of Malcolm X, By Any Means Necessary by Walter Dean Myers.  Instead of writing about the book, students had to create some other form of visual presentation to represent what they learned about the life of the man who was born Malcolm Little, became Detroit Red, Malcolm X, and finally, El Hajj Malik el Shabazz.  Student presentations were varied and original, resulting in this game, several sculptures, 3-D maps, original photography, drawings, videos, paintings, and even a graph.  I love this project not only because it allows students to shine with leadership and creativity in non-traditional ways, but also because of the lessons Malcolm’s life offers all young people, especially my students.   

Young Malcolm Little was definitely gifted: a top student in his class and elected class president, yet his teacher famously told him that he should not pursue his dream of becoming a lawyer and instead, he should try something more “realistic” for a young, black man in the 1930s and 1940s.  He became, instead, a petty criminal, serving time at a prison very near our school.  While there, Malcolm found hope in the Nation of Islam, and his giftedness was finally recognized, though sadly channeled toward a message of hate.  After further experience, education, and learning, Malcolm turned away from this message and gained his greatest recognition as a leader of all people. 

What can students learn from the life of Malcolm X?  When I asked my students this question, they delighted me with their swift replies.  They offered that a person can learn, change, and become open to new possibilities over the course of his or her lifetime.   They added that we have the ability to overcome difficult circumstances through resilience and hard work in order to attain fulfillment and even greatness.  One wise seventh grader said that he learned that a person should not condemn, just show others the best example. 

Like many great figures, the story of Malcolm X transcends his part in a specific history and offers the best kinds of lessons for our kids.