Malcolm X was an African American Muslim preacher and activist assassinated 50 years ago, on February 21, 1965.
Born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, in North Omaha, Nebraska, he would later go by the name El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. His father, Earl Little, died at the age of six, and his mother, Louise Norton Little, was confined to a mental hospital when Malcolm was just 13, effectively orphaning the teen. Earl was an avid supporter of Marcus Garvey, Black Nationalist leader.
While he was at school, Malcolm's brother, Reginald, converted to Islam, and began to talk to his sibling about the religion. Malcolm became enthralled with the teachings of Nation of Islam (NOI) leader Elijah Muhammad.
These lessons included discussions of how white society was actively engaged at preventing African Americans from rising in society and income. The budding activist soon dropped his surname of Little, which he considered a slave name, and adopted X as a replacement for his lost tribal name.
He was assigned to develop new mosques in Detroit and Harlem, and took an active role in communicating NOI goals through newspaper columns, radio, and television. In part, due to his influence in the media, membership in the NOI rose from 500 members to 30,000 between 1952 and 1963.
Mike Wallace interviewed the leader in 1959, which made Malcolm X the face of the NOI in the eyes of the American public.
"In addition to the media, Malcolm's vivid personality had captured the government's attention. As membership in the NOI continued to grow, FBI agents infiltrated the organization (one even acted as Malcolm's bodyguard) and secretly placed bugs, wiretaps, cameras, and other surveillance equipment to monitor the group's activities," according to MalcolmX.com.
After revelations of affairs by Elijah Muhammad and a fallout over comments Malcolm made following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Malcolm left NOI and formed the Muslim Mosque, Inc.
Soon, undercover officers in the NOI reported to government handlers that the group had marked Malcolm X for assassination. In February 14, 1965, his home was firebombed, but the family escaped without injury. Exactly one week later, the controversial minister was speaking at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan when three gunmen shot him 15 times. Malcolm X was 39 years old when he was assassinated, and his body is buried at the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. All three killers were members of the NOI and were convicted of first-degree murder in March 1966.
Malcolm X was a highly controversial figure for his time, and continues to raise debate today. His followers commended his harsh verbal attacks on government and community leaders, usually Caucasian. His detractors called him a racist, as well as an extremist.
Despite controversies about his life, there are few people can deny his great influence on the history of the United States during the civil rights movement of the 1950's and 60's.
