Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little, had a complex educational journey that reflected the challenges he faced growing up. His formal education began at a young age, but he encountered significant disruptions along the way.
Initially, he attended elementary school in Michigan. After his family moved to Lansing, he continued his education there. However, after his father’s death when Malcolm was just six years old, his family faced hardships that affected his schooling.
As a teenager, Malcolm attended junior high school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was during this time that he began to fall into a life of crime, which ultimately led to his expulsion from school. Despite showing great promise as a student, he dropped out of high school in the eighth grade.
After his expulsion, Malcolm worked various jobs and became involved in street culture, which diverted him further from traditional education. However, while in prison for burglary in the late 1940s, he took the opportunity to educate himself rigorously. He read extensively and even studied the dictionary to improve his vocabulary.
While Malcolm X’s formal schooling was limited, his self-education profoundly shaped his views and beliefs, making him a powerful orator and leader of the Civil Rights Movement. His experiences illustrate the idea that education can take many forms, and self-directed learning can have a lasting impact.