Malcolm X (1925-65)

US black nationalist leader. Born on 19 May 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska, Malcolm Little had his home burnt down by the racist Ku Klux Klan when he was a boy. Later, he moved to Boston, worked as a waiter, dyed his hair and enjoyed a wild youth.

Arrested for burglary, he spent seven years in prison, where he converted to Islam. In 1952, he became a follower of the ascetic Elijah Muhammad, founder of the militant Nation of Islam sect, popularly known as the Black Muslims. He took the name Al Hajj Malik Shabazz, although he was always known as Malcolm X.

Muhammad sent him to New York, where he worked in Harlem. Malcolm became a fiery public speaker, able to articulate the case for black people in a witty but uncompromising way. Unlike the non-violent Martin Luther King, he was prepared to condone violence in self-defence, and soon became known nationally as part of Black Power wing of the civil rights movement.

At first a strong advocate of black separatism, in 1964 he quarrelled with Muhammad and left the Black Muslims. After returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca, he modified his ideas about separatism and pressed for a world brotherhood of Muslims.

When Malcolm X formed the Organization of Afro-American Unity, he attracted hostility from the Nation of Islam. During a rally of his supporters, on 21 February 1965, he was assassinated by a Black Muslim.

Malcolm X's Autobiography, co-written by Alex Haley (later the author of Roots) and published in 1965, is a testament to black pride and an inspiration to young activists everywhere.

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