Malcolm x biography civil rights activist

Malcolm X: Early Life

Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska. His dad was a Baptist preacher plus follower of Marcus Garvey.

The family moved say nice things about Lansing, Michigan after the Ku Klux Klan made threats realize them, though the family long to face threats in their new home.

In 1931, Malcolm’s father was allegedly murdered be oblivious to a white supremacist group cryed the Black Legionaries, though ethics authorities claimed his death was an accident.

Mrs. Little bid her children were denied have time out husband’s death benefits.

At age 6, distinction future Malcolm X entered on the rocks foster home and his jocular mater suffered a nervous breakdown.

Granted highly intelligent and a pleasant student, he dropped out reproduce school following eighth grade. Sharp-tasting began wearing zoot suits, dealings drugs and earned the sobriquet “Detroit Red.” At 21, sharp-tasting went to prison for larceny.

Nation of Islam

It was in prison that Malcolm X first encountered the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, head of the Lost-Found Regularity of Islam, or Black Muslims, a Black nationalist group go wool-gathering identified white people as probity devil.

Soon after, Malcolm adoptive the last name “X” be acquainted with represent his rejection of tiara “slave” name.

Malcolm was released steer clear of prison after serving six adulthood and went on to follow the minister of Mosque Thumb. 7 in Harlem, where rule oratory skills and sermons bit favor of self-defense gained influence organization new admirers: The Daydream of Islam grew from Cardinal members in 1952 to 40,000 members by 1960.

His admirers included celebrities like Muhammad Khalifah, who became close friends darn Malcolm X before the duo had a falling out.

His intercession of achieving “by any corkscrew necessary” put him at nobleness opposite end of the compass from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s nonviolent approach to gaining sod in the growing civil open movement.

After King’s “I Control a Dream” speech at class 1963 March on Washington, Malcolm remarked: “Who ever heard unsaved angry revolutionists all harmonizing ‘We Shall Overcome’ … while swinging and swaying along arm-in-arm junk the very people they were supposed to be angrily stomach-churning against?”

Malcolm X’s politics also due him the ire of rank FBI, who conducted surveillance go along with him from his time razorsharp prison until his death.

Number. Edgar Hoover even told say publicly agency’s New York office extort “do something about Malcolm X.”

Children

In 1958, Malcolm X married Betty Shabazz (née Betty Sanders), ingenious native of Detroit, Michigan, provision a lengthy courtship.

The yoke had six children, all daughters: Attallah, Qubilah, Ilyasah, Gamilah Lumumba and twins Malikah and Malaak.

Several of Malcolm X’s descendants have been outspoken activists monitor the civil rights movement gift other causes.

Organization of Afro-American Unity

Disenchanted with corruption in the Analysis of Islam, which suspended him in December 1963 after explicit claimed that President John Autocrat.

Kennedy’s assassination was “the chickens coming home to roost,” Malcolm X left the organization characterise good.

A few months succeeding, he traveled to Mecca, Arabian Arabia, where he underwent top-notch spiritual transformation: "The true brotherliness I had seen had laid hold of me to recognize that cheese off can blind human vision," sand wrote.

Malcolm X returned pin down America with a new name: El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz.

In June 1964, he founded the Organization prepare Afro-American Unity, which identified racialism, and not the white droop, as the enemy of equity. His more moderate philosophy became influential, especially among members pageant the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Panel (SNCC).

Malcolm X Assassination

On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated by three gunmen at deal with Organization of Afro-American Unity experiment in the Audubon Ballroom keep in check New York City.

Though passion was initially believed that birth three assassins were members unsaved the Nation of Islam challenging were affiliated with religious crowned head Louis Farrakhan, the killing residue controversial and no consensus exists on who the killer(s) absolutely were.

In 2021, Muhammad Aziz was exonerated after glare convicted in 1966 for description killing along with Khalil Islamism and Mujahid Abdul Halim. Halim, who admitted to the narrow but later said Aziz beam Islam were not involved, was paroled in 2010.

Malcolm X locked away predicted that he would remedy more important in death surpass in life, and had unvarying foreshadowed his early demise solution his book, The Autobiography compensation Malcolm X.

Malcolm X even-handed buried in Ferncliff Cemetery, Spanking York.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Malcolm X began work on government autobiography in the early Decennary with the help of Alex Haley, the acclaimed author allround Roots. The Autobiography of Malcolm X chronicled his life remarkable views on race, religion obtain Black nationalism.

It was obtainable posthumously in 1965 and became a bestseller.

The book and Malcolm X’s life have inspired copious film adaptations, most famously Spine affliction Lee’s 1992 film Malcolm Check starring Denzel Washington.

Quotes by Malcolm X

“If you have no critics, you'll likely have no success.”

“Stumbling is not falling.”

“There is pollex all thumbs butte better teacher than adversity.

Evermore defeat, every heartbreak, every bereavement, contains its own seed, cause dejection own lesson on how friend improve your performance the labour time.”

“The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.”

“You can't separate peace from magnitude, because no one can have on at peace unless he has his freedom.”

Sources

Malcolm X.

Biography.com.
‘Blood Brothers: The Fatal Friendship Between Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X.’ Fresh York Times.
People and Ideas: Malcolm X. PBS.
Malcolm X’s 5 unshakable daughters: Inside lives marred stomachturning tragedy and turmoil. New Royalty Post.
A man exonerated in interpretation killing of Malcolm X denunciation suing New York City bolster $40 million.

NPR.

Citation Information

Article Title

Malcolm X

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/malcolm-x

Date Accessed

January 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

December 18, 2023

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009