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• Malcolm X was a Black Muslim minister and leader for Civil Rights in America.

• Fast Facts

  1. Born: May 19, 1925
  2. Put in foster care after his father died and his mother was committed
  3. Nicknamed "Detroit Red" because of his complexion and hair
  4. Served six years in prison where he began studying Islam
  5. Once seen as the second most influential member of Nation of Islam, after Elijah Muhammad
  6. Inspired Cassius Clay to join Nation of Islam and change his name to Muhammad Ali
  7. Met Fidel Castro in 1960
  8. Wrote Autobiography of Malcolm X with Alex Haley
  9. Left Nation of Islam after discovering Elijah Muhammad was an adulterer; started the Muslim Mosque, Inc
  10. Shot sixteen times in the chest at the beginning of a speech in Manhattan
  11. Spike Lee directed a biopic about Malcolm X in 1992, with Denzel Washington playing the title role.

• Early Years

  In 1925 Malcolm X was born "Malcolm Little" in Omaha, NE. As a child he was introduced to violence and racial discrimination, when his father Eark Little, a member of the Universal Negro Improvement Association was believed to have been murdered by a group of white supremacists. After Earl Little's death, his wife Louise was committed to a mental hospital, forcing Malcolm and his siblings to spend most of their early years bouncing around foster homes. As a young adult he was involved in several illegal activities, including gambling, drug dealing, and robbery. From 1946 until his parole in 1952, Malcolm Little was imprisoned in Massachusetts for Grand Larceny and Breaking and Entering. Having discovered the Nation of Islam, and befriending Elijah Muhammad while incarcerated, Malcolm Little changed his name to Malcolm X.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Sunni Islam | Martin Luther King Jr. | Muhammad Ali | Fidel Castro | FBI | Spike Lee | Denzel Washington | ACLU | Nation of Islam | Elijah Muhammad | Alex Haley | Lansing, MI

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