Malcolm X

Malcolm X (b. 19 May 1925, d. 21 Feb. 1965). US civil rights leader Born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, he later took the name Al Hajj Malik Shabazz, but was always known as Malcolm X. When he was a boy, his home was burnt down by the Ku Klux Klan. His father, a Baptist preacher, died under mysterious circumstances. Later he moved to Boston, where he worked as a waiter and spent seven years in prison for burglary. Here he was converted to Islam. He became a follower in 1952 of the ascetic Elijah Muhammad, founder of the Nation of Islam (NoI). Muhammad sent him to become a minister in Harlem (New York). As a brilliant speaker he became known nationally for his part in the Black Power wing of the civil rights movement. At first a strong advocate of Black separatism, he was prepared to condone violence as a means of self-defence. In 1964 he quarrelled with Muhammad and left the Black Muslims. After a pilgrimage to Mecca, he modified his views on separatism. He became an advocate of world brotherhood and formed the Organization of Afro-American Unity. Hostility developed between his followers and the NoI, one of whose followers shot him at a rally. His Autobiography (1965) remained a best seller, its ideology of self-help and pride appealing especially to African American young people.