Malcolm X

Malcolm X Malcolm X ( May 19 , 1925 – February 21 , 1965 – also: Malcolm Little , Detroit Red , El-Hajj Malik El- Shabazz , and Omowale ) was a spokesman for the Nation of Islam , and a founder of both the Muslim Mosque, Inc. , and the Organization of Afro-American Unity . He was assassinated in February 1965 on the first day of National Brotherhood Week . During his life, Malcolm evolved from being a street-wise hoodlum to one of the most prominent black nationalist leaders born in the United States , ultimately rising to become a world renowned Pan-Africanist and human rights activist. He explained the name he chose by saying “To take one’s ‘X’ is to take on a certain mystery, a certain possibility of power in the eyes of one’s peers and one’s enemies ... The ‘X’ announced what you had been and what you had become: Ex-smoker, Ex-drinker, Ex-Christian, Ex-slave.” The 'X' also stood as a symbol for what the sons and daughters of former slaves had lost years before, their original name. X thus stands for 'unknown' and an unwillingness to continue to bear the name of their former slave owners. This became a popular practice for members of the Nation of Islam.

Malcolm X ( / ˈ m æ l k əm ˈ ɛ k s / ; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965), born Malcolm Little and also known as el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz ( ), was an American Muslim minister and a human rights activist . To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of blacks, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against black Americans; detractors accused him of preaching racism and violence. He has been called one of the greatest and most influential African Americans in history. Malcolm X was effectively orphaned early in life. His father was killed when he was six and his mother was placed in a mental hospital when he was thirteen, after which he lived in a series of foster homes . In 1946, at age 20, he went to prison for larceny and breaking and entering. While in prison, Malcolm X became a member of the Nation of Islam , and after his parole in 1952, quickly rose to become one of the organization's most influential leaders, serving as the public face of the controversial group for a dozen years. In his autobiography, Malcolm X wrote proudly of some of the social achievements the Nation made while he was a member, particularly its free-of-cost drug rehabilitation program . In keeping with the Nation's teachings, he promoted black supremacy , advocated the separation of black and white Americans , and rejected the civil rights movement for their emphasis on integration . By March 1964, Malcolm X had grown disillusioned with the Nation of Islam and its leader Elijah Muhammad . Expressing many regrets about his time with them, which he had come to regard as largely wasted, he embraced Sunni Islam . After a period of travel in Africa and the Middle East which included completing the Hajj , he repudiated the Nation of Islam, disavowed racism and founded Muslim Mosque, Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity . He continued to emphasize Pan-Africanism , black self-determination, and black self-defense. In February 1965 he was assassinated by three Nation of Islam members. The Autobiography of Malcolm X , published shortly after his death, is considered one of the most influential nonfiction books of the 20th century. There are <ref group=upper-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).

American human rights activist and Muslim minister This article is about the person. "Malcolm Little" and "Malik Shabazz" redirect here. El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz ( ; born Malcolm Little ; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965), better known as Malcolm X , was an African American minister, and human rights activist who was a popular figure during the civil rights movement . He is best known for his time spent as a vocal spokesman for the Nation of Islam . Born in Omaha, Nebraska , Malcolm X spent his teenage years living in a series of foster homes after his father's death and his mother's hospitalization. He engaged in several illicit activities there, eventually being sentenced to 10 years in prison in 1946 for larceny and breaking and entering. In prison, he joined the Nation of Islam , adopted the name Malcolm X, and quickly became one of the organization's most influential leaders after being paroled in 1952. Malcolm X then served as the public face of the organization for a dozen years, where he advocated for black supremacy , black empowerment, and the separation of black and white Americans , and publicly criticized the mainstream civil rights movement for its emphasis on nonviolence and racial integration . Malcolm X also expressed pride in some of the Nation's social welfare achievements, namely its free drug rehabilitation program . Throughout his life beginning in the 1950s, Malcolm X endured surveillance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for the Nation's supposed links to communism . In the 1960s, Malcolm X began to grow disillusioned with the Nation of Islam, as well as with its leader Elijah Muhammad . He subsequently embraced Sunni Islam and the civil rights movement after completing the Hajj to Mecca , and became known as el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz. After a brief period of travel across Africa, he publicly renounced the Nation of Islam and founded the Islamic Muslim Mosque, Inc. (MMI) and the Pan-African Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU). Throughout 1964, his conflict with the Nation of Islam intensified, and he was repeatedly sent death threats. On February 21, 1965, he was assassinated. Three Nation members were charged with the murder and given indeterminate life sentences. Speculation about the assassination and whether it was conceived or aided by leading or additional members of the Nation, or with law enforcement agencies, have persisted for decades after the shooting. A controversial figure accused of preaching racism and violence, Malcolm X is also a widely celebrated figure within African-American and Muslim American communities for his pursuit of racial justice. He was posthumously honored with Malcolm X Day , where he is commemorated in various cities across the United States. Hundreds of streets and schools in the U.S. have been renamed in his honor, while the Audubon Ballroom , the site of his assassination, was partly redeveloped in 2005 to accommodate the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center . There are <ref group=upper-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).

American Black rights activist (1925–1965) This article is about the person. "Malcolm Little" and "Malik Shabazz" redirect here. Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little , later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz ; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement . A spokesman for the Nation of Islam until 1964, he was a vocal advocate for Black empowerment and the promotion of Islam within the Black community. A posthumous autobiography , on which he collaborated with Alex Haley , was published in 1965. Malcolm spent his adolescence living in a series of foster homes or with relatives after his father's death and his mother's hospitalization. He committed various crimes, being sentenced to 8 to 10 years in prison in 1946 for larceny and burglary . In prison, he joined the Nation of Islam , adopting the name Malcolm X to symbolize his unknown African ancestral surname while discarding "the White slavemaster name of 'Little'", and after his parole in 1952 quickly became one of the organization's most influential leaders. He was the public face of the organization for 12 years, advocating Black empowerment and separation of Black and White Americans , and criticizing Martin Luther King Jr. and the mainstream civil rights movement for its emphasis on nonviolence and racial integration . Malcolm X also expressed pride in some of the Nation's social welfare achievements, such as its free drug rehabilitation program. From the 1950s onward, Malcolm X was subjected to surveillance by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). In the 1960s, Malcolm X began to grow disillusioned with the Nation of Islam, as well as with its leader, Elijah Muhammad . He subsequently embraced Sunni Islam and the civil rights movement after completing the Hajj to Mecca , and became known as " el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz," which roughly translates to "The Pilgrim Malcolm the Patriarch". After a brief period of travel across Africa, he publicly renounced the Nation of Islam and founded the Islamic Muslim Mosque, Inc. (MMI) and the Pan-African Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU). Throughout 1964, his conflict with the Nation of Islam intensified, and he was repeatedly sent death threats. On February 21, 1965, he was assassinated in New York City . Three Nation members were charged with the murder and given indeterminate life sentences ; in 2021, two of the convictions were vacated. Speculation about the assassination and whether it was conceived or aided by leading or additional members of the Nation, or with law enforcement agencies, has persisted for decades. A controversial figure accused of preaching racism and violence, Malcolm X is also a widely celebrated figure within African-American and Muslim American communities for his pursuit of racial justice. He was posthumously honored with Malcolm X Day , on which he is commemorated in various cities across the United States. Hundreds of streets and schools in the U.S. have been renamed in his honor, while the Audubon Ballroom , the site of his assassination, was partly redeveloped in 2005 to accommodate the Malcolm X and Dr.

American civil rights activist (1925–1965) This article is about the person. "Malcolm Little" and "Malik Shabazz" redirect here. Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little , later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz ; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American revolutionary, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement until his assassination in 1965. A spokesman for the Nation of Islam (NOI) until 1964, after which he left the movement, he was a vocal advocate for Black empowerment and the promotion of Islam within the African American community. A controversial figure accused of preaching violence, Malcolm X is also a celebrated figure within African American and Muslim communities for his pursuit of racial justice. Malcolm spent his adolescence living in a series of foster homes and with various relatives, after his father's death and his mother's hospitalization. He committed various crimes, being sentenced to eight to ten years in prison in 1946 for larceny and burglary. In prison, he joined the Nation of Islam, adopting the name Malcolm X to symbolize his unknown African ancestral surname while discarding "the white slavemaster name of 'Little ' ", and after his parole in 1952, he quickly became one of the organization's most influential leaders. He was the public face of the organization for 12 years, advocating Black empowerment and separation of Black and White Americans , as well as criticizing Martin Luther King Jr. and the mainstream civil rights movement for its emphasis on non-violence and racial integration . Malcolm X also expressed pride in some of the Nation's social welfare achievements, such as its free drug rehabilitation program. From the 1950s onward, Malcolm X was subjected to surveillance by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). In the 1960s, Malcolm X began to grow disillusioned with the Nation of Islam, as well as with its leader, Elijah Muhammad . He subsequently embraced Sunni Islam and the civil rights movement after completing the Hajj to Mecca and became known as " el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz", which roughly translates to "The Pilgrim Malcolm the Patriarch". After a brief period of travel across Africa, he publicly renounced the Nation of Islam and founded the Islamic Muslim Mosque, Inc. (MMI) and the Pan-African Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU). Throughout 1964, his conflict with the Nation of Islam intensified, and he was repeatedly sent death threats. Three Nation members were charged with the murder and given indeterminate life sentences . In 2021, two of the convictions were vacated. Speculation about the assassination and whether it was conceived or aided by leading or additional members of the Nation, or with law enforcement agencies, has persisted for decades. He was posthumously honored with Malcolm X Day , on which he is commemorated in various cities across the United States. Hundreds of streets and schools in the US have been renamed in his honor, while the Audubon Ballroom , the site of his assassination, was partly redeveloped in 2005 to accommodate the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center . A posthumous autobiography , on which he collaborated with Alex Haley , was published in 1965.