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Malcolm Little was born on May 19th, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. His father died from a street car "accident" in 1931 and his mother was declared mentally insane and taken to a mental institute in 1939.

As a teenager, Malcolm became a hustler (nicknamed Detroit Red). In 1946 he was charged with grand larceny, breaking and entering, and firearm possession after trying to steal a $1000 watch. He was sentenced eight to ten years in jail.

While in jail Malcolm's siblings introduced him to the Nation of Islam teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. The Nation of Islam believes in black nationalism, racial separation, and all people of European descent are the devil. By the time Malcolm was released from prison he was fully devoted to the Nation of Islam. Malcolm drops his "slave" name (Little) and replaces it with X.

In 1952 Malcolm is released from prison and joins a Nation of Islam temple in Detroit. At this time, the Nation of Islam had four temples and about 400 members. Malcolm felt the Nation of Islam should have more than 400 members and four temples. Malcolm managed to spread the beliefs of the Nation of Islam all across the United States with his charisma and energy. By 1960 the Nation of Islam had over 10,000 members and 49 temples.

Malcolm creates a newspaper called //Muhammad Speaks.// The paper was widely renown and promoted the Nation of Islam's message and lead to an increase in attendance to the Nation of Islam's temples.

Elijah Muhammad appointed Malcolm as the national representative of the Nation of Islam. Malcolm advocated black nationalism and self defense against racism by "any means necessary," His moving speeches made him admired by black communities across the country.

Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam was against integration of blacks into white culture. Moreover, they did not believe in a non-violent movement. Because of this, they refused to demonstrate with organizations such as the NAACP or individuals such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As Malcolm said, "I am for violence if non-violence means we continue postponing a solution to the American black man's problem just to avoid violence."

Elijah and Malcolm started to disagree as the Civil Rights Movement progressed. A few days after John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Malcolm stated it was "a case of the chickens coming home to roost." Elijah, who told Malcolm not to comment on the assassination, suspended Malcolm for 90 days. Shortly after, Malcolm is removed as the Nation's national representative and as the minister of Temple No. 7 in Harlem.

Malcolm decides to create his own organization called Muslim Mosque Inc. after leaving the Nation of Islam. Muslim Mosque Inc. initiated a back-to-Africa movement among the African American population. A letter is sent to Malcolm from the Nation requesting he surrender all his property. Malcolm believes he will be killed by the Nation of Islam.

April, 1964 Malcolm takes several trips to the Middle East, including a pilgrimage to Mecca. When Malcolm returned to the United States his view changed; the voyage to Mecca opened his eyes. He now believed it //is// possible for blacks and whites to work together and the issue of racism was caused by the ways of the Western Civilization. He also changed his name to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz.

On February 21st, 1965, Malcolm was assassinated while speaking at a rally in Harlem. Malcolm knew he would one day be killed by Black Muslims; two of the three convicted men were from the Nation of Islam.

Malcolm X's influence lead to the creation of other militant groups such as the Black Panther Party and Black Power. He discovered that people of all race and color can worship the same god. He also showed that blacks can be articulate and intelligent.