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"Malcolm X" (May 19, 1925 - February 21, 1965 -- also: "Malcolm Little", "El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz", and "Omowale") was a spokesperson for the Nation of Islam, and founder of both the Muslim Mosque, Inc and the Organization of Afro-American Unity. He was assassinated, in February 1965. During his life, X was one of the most prominent militant black nationalist leaders in the United States.

Early years

He was born as Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska. His father Earl, an outspoken Baptist minister and supporter of Marcus Garvey, was murdered in Lansing, Michigan in 1931.

Malcolm later dropped out of high school, and moved to Boston to live with a half-sister.He found work as a shoeshiner at a Lindy Hop nightclub; in his autobiography, he says that he once shined the shoes of Duke Ellington and other notable musicians.After some time, he moved to Harlem, New York, where he became involved in drug dealing, gambling, prostitution, racketeering, and robbery (referred to collectively by Malcolm as "hustling"); he also faked insanity in order to avoid the World War II draft.Little was arrested for burglary in 1946 and sentenced to ten years in prison (he was paroled after seven).

Later years

Prison

Malcolm was arrested on January 12, 1946 at the age of 20 and sentenced to eight to ten years in prison on charges of breaking and entering, carrying firearms, and larceny. He earned the nickname Satan in the Charlestown State Prison for his constant cursing, especially of God and the Bible.

In 1948, his family converted him to Islam. He studied the teachings of Elijah Muhammad diligently and began to expand his intellect. His sister Ella helped to transfer him to the lower-security Norfolk, Massachusetts Prison Colony, where he became an avid reader and found justification for the teachings of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam in history and philosophy. He participated in the Colony's weekly debates. He copied an entire dictionary from the Colony's library to expand his knowledge and to improve his handwriting.

His first contact with Elijah Muhammad was in prison, where he corresponded with Muhammad by mail. As he progressed in his self-education, he began to write to the leader daily.

After his release from prison on August 7, 1952, he bought a suitcase, eyeglasses, and a watch, later saying that these were the items he used most in his later life.

[Image Temporarily Omitted] , Malcolm X watched for assailants with an M1 Carbine.]]

Hajj

In the spring of 1964, Malcolm made the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca). The trip proved life-altering. The true fellowship between Muslims of all colors that he encountered shattered his belief in a separate nation for blacks and that all whites were "devils". He returned to the United States as a convert to orthodox Islam (and with a new name - El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz) and founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity with a new message on integration, preaching to all races but still with a strong belief in black nationalism.

Life magazine published a famous photograph of Malcolm X holding an M1 Carbine and pulling back the curtains to peer out of a window.This photograph is a popular image on T-shirts and often appears with the slogan "By any means necessary." The photo was taken in connection with Malcolm's declaration that he would defend himself from the daily death threats which he and his family were receiving.

Death and afterwards

Tensions increased between Malcolm and the Nation of Islam. Orders were given by the Nation members to kill Malcolm. On February 14, 1965 his home in New York was firebombed by the Nation of Islam, but Malcolm and his family survived.

A week later on February 21, in the Manhattan's Audubon Ballroom, Malcolm had just begun delivering a speech when a disturbance broke out in the crowd of 400.A man yelled, "Get your hands off my pockets!Don't be messin' with my pockets!"As Malcolm's bodyguards rushed forward to attend to the disturbance, a man rushed forward and shot Malcolm in the chest with a sawed-off shotgun.Two other men quickly charged towards the stage and fired handguns at Malcolm.

Malcolm X was buried at the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. Three people were arrested for his murder: Nation of Islam members Talmadge Hayer, Norman 3X Butler, and Thomas 15X Johnson.All three were convicted of first-degree murder in March 1966. An FBI memo uncovered during the COINTELPRO investigations, however, takes credit for creating the factional dispute that led to Malcolm X's assassination. The exact role of the FBI in his death has never been made clear although it is known that at least one of Malcolm's bodyguards was an undercover NYPD police officer reporting back to the FBI. Hayer himself appears to be the only man guilty of the assassination; he later gave the names of the other assassins as Albert Thomas, Leon Davis, William Bradley, and Wilbur McKinley.

Despite his change of view, he was most remembered for his anti-racist speeches, which were emulated by other black nationalist organizations such as the Black Panthers.

Quotes

* "We didn't land on Plymouth Rock, my brothers and sisters - Plymouth Rock landed on us!" -- Malcolm X

* "To me, the Earth's most pernicious evil is racism...With racism plaguing America like an incurable cancer [...] the [...] American heart should be more receptive to a proven solution Islam [...] perhaps it could be in time to save America from [...] the same destruction brought upon Germany". -- Malcolm X ("''Autobiography of Malcolm X''")

* "You're not to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it."

* "If you're not ready to die for it, put the word "freedom" out of your vocabulary." -- Malcolm X, November 28, 1962

Biographies

''The Autobiography of Malcolm X'' ( ISBN 0345350685 ) was written by Alex Haley between 1964 and 1965, based on interviews conducted shortly before Malcolm's death (and with an epilogue for after it), and was published in 1972. The book was named by ''Time'' magazine as one of the 10 most important nonfiction books of the 20th century.

The film ''Malcolm X'' was released in 1992, directed by Spike Lee. Based on the autobiography, it starred Denzel Washington as Malcolm with Angela Bassett as Betty and Al Freeman Jr. as Elijah Muhammad.

External links

* Wikiquote - Quotes by Malcolm X

* ''The Official Web Site of Malcolm X''

* ''Malcolm X : A Research Site''

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. See http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html for details. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Malcolm X.

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 Malcolm X on the Web
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