Malcolm X

Malcolm X May 19 1925 February 21 1965 born Malcolm Little and also known as ElHajj Malik ElShabazz was an AfricanAmerican Muslim minister public speaker and human rights activistTo his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against black Americans His detractors accused him of preaching racism black supremacy antisemitism and violence He has been called one of the greatest and most influential African Americans in history and in 1998 Time named The Autobiography of Malcolm X one of the ten most influential nonfiction books of the 20th century Malcolm X was born in Omaha Nebraska The events of his childhood including his fathers lessons concerning black pride and selfreliance and his own experiences concerning race played a significant role in Malcolm Xs adult life By the time he was thirteen his father had died and his mother had been committed to a mental hospital After living in a series of foster homes Malcolm X became involved in a number of criminal activities in Boston and New York City In 1946 Malcolm X was sentenced to eight to ten years in prison While in prison Malcolm X became a member of the Nation of Islam and after his parole in 1952 he became one of the Nations leaders and chief spokesmen For nearly a dozen years he was the public face of the controversial group Tension between Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad head of the Nation of Islam led to Malcolm Xs quitting the organization in March 1964 He subsequently traveled extensively throughout Africa and the Middle East and founded Muslim Mosque Inc a religious organization and the secular Organization of AfroAmerican Unity which advocated PanAfricanism Less than a year after he left the Nation of Islam Malcolm X was assassinated by three members of the group while giving a speech in New York The beliefs expressed by Malcolm X changed during his lifetime As a spokesman for the Nation of Islam he taught black supremacy and deified the leaders of the organization He also advocated the separation of black and white Americans which put him at odds with the civil rights movement which was working towards integration After he left the Nation of Islam in 1964 Malcolm X became a Sunni Muslim made the pilgrimage to Mecca and disavowed racism while remaining a champion of black selfdetermination self defense and human rights He expressed a willingness to work with civil rights leaders and described his previous position with the Nation of Islam as that of a zombie Description above from the Wikipedia article Malcolm X licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia