(1925–65). A forceful champion of the rights of black people, Malcolm X urged African Americans to develop racial unity. Reaching the height of his influence in the early 1960s, he stirred great controversy with his views.

Early life

Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska. His father, Earl Little, was a Baptist preacher and an organizer in the “back-to-Africa” movement led by Marcus Garvey. The movement sought to encourage racial pride among blacks in the United States. Reverend Little's beliefs made him and his family targets of threats and violence from white supremacists—whites who believed themselves to be better than blacks.

The trouble continued after the Little family moved to Lansing, Michigan. There, in 1931, Malcolm's father was killed. Reverend Little's widow, Louise Little, struggled to provide for her family. Under great strain, she suffered a nervous breakdown and was put in an institution. Malcolm and his brothers and sisters were separated by state welfare agencies.

After the eighth grade, Malcolm dropped out of school. He went to live with a relative in Boston, Massachusetts. There, and in New York City, he became involved in a life of crime—dealing drugs and stealing. He was serving a prison sentence in the late 1940s when he learned of the teachings of the Nation of Islam, a black Muslim group. The group taught that blacks are superior to all others, and they stressed the need for blacks to escape from the domination of white people.

Released from prison in 1952, Malcolm joined the Nation of Islam. He gave up his last name, believed to be given to his ancestors by slaveholders, and replaced it with an X. The X stood for his unknown African family name.

Career

Malcolm X became a leader in the Nation of Islam. A gifted speaker, he addressed black audiences, telling them of the ways they and their ancestors suffered at the hands of whites. He urged listeners to take pride in their color. The powerful message delivered by Malcolm X won many new members for the Nation of Islam. In 1954 he became the minister of the group's temple in Harlem, New York.

Malcolm X's views grew more extreme. He openly scorned the civil rights movement, which was working peacefully to bring about equality between the races. Malcolm X rejected their efforts to integrate, or mix, black people into mainstream society. Instead he called for blacks to separate from whites—to form their own nation. He also taught that the use of violence was acceptable to defend oneself or bring about change.

Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam in 1964 because of disagreements within the group. He made a pilgrimage, or religious journey, to Mecca—a Muslim holy city in Saudi Arabia. Along the way he saw pilgrims of all colors. The experience taught him about “true Islam” and softened his views about race. Taking the Muslim name el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, he converted to orthodox (traditional) Islam. He no longer thought whites were evil, and he hoped that all races might someday join in brotherhood.

Death

Returning to the United States, Malcolm X shared his new beliefs and angered Nation of Islam followers. He received death threats, and his home was bombed. On February 21, 1965, he was speaking in Harlem when he was shot and killed. Three members of the Nation of Islam were convicted of the murder. Malcolm X was survived by his wife, Betty Shabazz, and six daughters. His life story was published after his death; The Autobiography of Malcolm X was based on a series of interviews conducted by writer Alex Haley in 1963 and 1964.