Malcolm X and the Cross's Nigresence Model

Malcolm X and Cross`s Nigrescence Model
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His blunt convictions made him a threat, his inspiring beliefs and perseverance earned him respect and his name reached across borders worldwide; in any case, he is a man who started a revolution. He has made his mark in history and deserves his place in it. He was Malcolm X. His journey towards ‘becoming black`, or Nigrescence, is one aspect of the mark he`s left the world through his memoirs, The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told by Alex Haley. And through this essay, we will tackle the life of Malcolm X and the transitions he`s made throughout; this, in reference to William Cross` Nigrescence Model.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told by Alex Haley tells the life of Malcolm Little, an African American who lived quite a life - growing in the suburbs of Omaha, Nebraska to experiencing prison life in New York City to finding enlightenment and faith in Islam and thereon becoming the legend he is today, Malcolm X. His strong belief in his faith made him the leading the spokesperson of the Nation of Islam alongside Elijah Muhammad, the institution`s original pioneer. His precarious nature earned him respect from his people but at the same time, he became a threat to the others. Eventually, his infamy worried Muhammad who then decided to send Malcolm to his ‘permanent suspension` from the Nation of Islam. Adamant to this result, Malcolm became determined to establish his own organization, the Muslim Mosque, Inc., its program highlighting the same aim as the former group which is racial separation and community control; however, contrary to the Nation of Islam which is defined wholly by its religious grounds, Malcolm had his organization patterned according to secular and political orientation. His advocacy made him known globally as he travels overseas and meets with very important people. Over time, however, his strong conviction of his hatred towards the ‘white race` and his fearlessness in expressing himself made him a target of a number of death threats which eventually led to his assassination in 1965.
Though not necessarily expressed in its precise term, Malcolm`s history is consistent with the path of Nigrescence, which translates to "becoming black". William Cross` version of the Nigrescence paradigm is the most known among all racial identity development principles; this is mainly characterized by five stages: Pre-encounter, Encounter, Immersion, Emersion, and Internalization CITATION Mto11 \l 1033 (Mtose & Bayaga, 2011). As such, we find that Malcolm, through his life, has achieved all these stages accordingly.
The Pre-encounter stage is defined by the person`s indifference towards the black color of his skin in that he is not at all bothered by having it, whether on a positive or negative note; in other words, it`s not really a matter he finds that important to focus on at the time. Otherwise, there are also those who develop a Eurocentric outlook on life, adapting to Western culture and ultimately dropping their African American Inheritance CITATION Mto11 \l 1033 (Mtose & Bayaga, 2011). Then again, in Malcolm`s case, his behavior exhibited more of the former characterization than that of the latter description. In particular, during his early years, he wasn`t altogether highly concerned of his color despite being a black in an elementary school dominated by white students; as a matter of fact, he was considered an outstanding student and even popular among his schoolmates - that is, before he was denied the dream of being a lawyer by one certain school counselor because he was a "nigger". Suddenly, he was aware that the color of his skin mattered. At this point, he`s begun to move on to the Encounter stage.
The ...