Malcolm X
Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska on May 19, 1925. Following the death of his father in 1931, Malcolm drifted through the homes of various relatives and foster parents. When Malcolm was 16, he moved to New York City where he was arrested for burglary and imprisoned from 1946 to 1952.
During his time in jail, Malcolm began to read the works of Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam. These readings convinced Malcolm of the veracity in the Islamic faith. By the time he left jail, Malcolm embraced the Black Muslim movement and Black Nationalism. He changed his name to Malcolm X, rejecting “Little” as a white man’s name that had been imposed upon him and his family. He married Betty X (nee Sanders) and they had six daughters.
Malcolm X became a minister and a powerful leader within the Black Muslim movement. Over time, some Black Muslim leaders became concerned about his growing influence. In the early 1960s, he frequently clashed with more conservative Black Muslim leaders.
In 1964, Malcolm X made a pilgrimage to Mecca, a holy site in Saudi Arabia that all Muslims hope to visit. In Mecca, Malcolm observed Muslims of different races interacting as equals and believed that a more orthodox Islam could provide the basis for a social revolution and a solution to racial problems in the United States and the World.
Malcolm’s experience led him embrace a more orthodox Islam and to found the Organization for Afro-American Unity. He returned from Mecca with a new message. Malcolm no longer espoused hatred towards whites. He stopped calling for black separatism from whites. Instead, he insisted on a socialist revolution.
Malcolm’s philosophical changes and his charismatic leadership created tensions with the Nation of Islam. His house in Brooklyn, New York was burned to the ground. He was shot and killed during a speech in New York City in 1965. The three men convicted of his murder were members of the Nation of Islam. Over the decades, there have been many theories put forth about conspiracies surrounding Malcolm’s murder, but none have been proven in a court of law. No other criminal charges were filed.