Malcolm X
El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Arabic: ٱلْحَاجّ مَالِك ٱلشَّبَازّ, romanized: al-Ḥājj Mālik ash-Shabāzz, May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) also known as Malcolm X was an African American nationalist and civil rights activist. Before he became Malcolm X, his original name was Malcolm Stuart Little. Malcolm X's father was a Baptist minister whose skin was very dark, whilst his mother's skin was of a much lighter tone. His parents taught him to be proud of being black in an openly anti-black society. Malcolm X's father died when Malcolm was only six years old, leaving his mother in poverty.
Malcolm X | |
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 Malcolm X in March 1964 | |
| Born | Malcolm Little May 19, 1925 |
| Died | February 21, 1965 (aged 39) New York City, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Assassination (gunshot wounds) |
| Resting place | Ferncliff Cemetery |
| Other names | el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz (الحاجّ مالك الشباز) |
| Occupation | Minister, activist |
| Organization | Nation of Islam, Muslim Mosque, Inc., Organization of Afro-American Unity |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) |
| Movement | Black nationalism, Pan-Africanism |
| Spouse(s) | Betty Shabazz (m. 1958) |
| Children | Attallah Shabazz Qubilah Shabazz Ilyasah Shabazz Gamilah Lumumba Shabazz Malikah Shabazz Malaak Shabazz |
| Parent(s) | Earl Little, Louise Helen Norton Little |
| Signature | |
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In 1946, Malcolm was arrested at the age of 20 for armed robbery, but was released from jail 8 years later. He was introduced to the Nation of Islam and Islam while he was in jail, joining the Nation after he was released.[1]
Actions
At first, Malcolm X's actions and speeches were mostly inspired by the beliefs and teachings of the Nation of Islam. He taught that all white people were bad. Once he learned that the leader of the Nation of Islam was in relationships with many women, he quit the group and changed his religion to Sunni Islam. He went on a pilgrimage to see the Islamic holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. At this point, his opinions of white people got better, and he began to believe that white people could be good people, too. Malcolm X believed that black people should fight for their civil rights in any way they could, even if they had to become violent. He also thought that black people should support one another by shopping in stores owned by black people. He was critical of the civil rights movement.
Personal life
Malcolm X had six children with Betty Shabazz. He had six grandchildren. Malcolm Shabazz was killed in May 2013. He also has two great-grandchildren.
Death
On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was shot multiple times in New York City after preaching about black rights. Three members of the Nation of Islam had a part in his murder.
Malcolm X Media
- 1930 census Little.gif
A 1930 United States Census return listing the Little family (lines 59ff)
- Malcolm X mugshot 1944.jpg
A Boston police mug shot of Malcolm, following his arrest for larceny (1944)
Muhammad Ali (second row, in dark suit) watches Elijah Muhammad speak, 1964
- MLK and Malcolm X USNWR cropped.jpg
Malcolm X's only meeting with Martin Luther King Jr., March 26, 1964, during the Senate debates regarding the (eventual) Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Louis Farrakhan in 2005
Malcolm X at a 1964 press conference
- MALCOLM X BUST NEBRASKA STATE CAPITOL.png
A bust of Malcolm X at the Nebraska State Capitol, where he was inducted into the Nebraska Hall of Fame in 2024.
A historical marker for Malcolm X's first home in Omaha, Nebraska. The home itself was demolished in 1965.
- Little-Collins-X House.jpg
The Malcolm X—Ella Little-Collins House in Boston where Malcolm X and his half-sister Ella Little-Collins lived from 1941 to 1944.
References
- ↑ McGill, Sarah (August 2017). Malcolm X. OCLC 1002008441.