Malcolm Little (Malcolm X)

Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little; later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; 1925–1965) was an African American Muslim minister and civil rights activist. After a troubled youth and imprisonment, he joined the Nation of Islam and became one of its most prominent spokesmen, known for forceful critiques of racism and calls for Black self-determination. He broke with the Nation of Islam in 1964, made the pilgrimage to Mecca, and founded Muslim Mosque, Inc., and the Organization of Afro-American Unity. His life and ideas reached a wide audience through *The Autobiography of Malcolm X* (as told to Alex Haley). He was assassinated in New York City in 1965.