On May 19, 1925, African American Muslim minister and human rights activist Malcolm X was born. Originally born Malcolm Little, the minister and human rights activist advocated for Black empowerment and rose to prominent fame as an activist as well as a spokesman for the Nation of Islam during the civil rights movement. Malcolm X's life was tragically cut short when he was assassinated on Feb. 21, 1965, in Manhattan. He was 39. Look back at the life and legacy of one of the most influential African Americans in history.
African American Muslim minister and human rights activist Malcolm X, circa 1965.
Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, had a rough upbringing after his father was killed when he was only six and his mother was placed in a mental hospital when he was 13, forcing him into foster care. Although he excelled in school, Malcolm eventually dropped out after being told his interest in history was unrealistic for a black man. By the age of 20, Malcolm had moved to Harlem and became involved in drug dealing, gambling, robbery and pimping. His reckless behavior eventually led him to a series of burglaries of wealthy white families where he was arrested and charged with an eight to 10 year sentence.
While in prison, Malcolm took advantage of his time and started reading books to make up for his lack of education. His siblings wrote to him in prison telling him about the Nation of Islam, a relatively new religious movement that preached black self-reliance and the return to Africa where they would be free from white domination. Malcolm started following the religion and in 1948, he wrote to the leader of the Nation of Islam for advice. He and the leader Elijah Muhammad would be in correspondence in the years that followed helping him follow his new Islamic ways.
When Malcolm left prison, he visited Muhammad in Chicago, where he was named assistant minister of the Nation’s Temple One in Detroit. Later that year, he established Boston’s Temple Number 11, eventually expanding with Temple Number 12 in Philadelphia. Two months later, he was selected to lead Temple 7 in Harlem where the FBI began surveillance of him due to possible communist ties. Malcolm continued to establish temples all over the East Coast from Massachusetts to Connecticut bringing hundreds of African Americans to join the Nation of Islam every month.
Human rights activist Malcolm X, with political leaders Elijah Muhammad and Louis Farrakhan, circa 1950-1965.
Human rights activist Malcolm X with a sketch of a planned mosque, circa 1950-1965.
In 1955, Betty Shabazz met Malcolm during one of his lectures and again at a dinner party, quickly becoming fascinated with him. She even changed her name to Betty X after joining the Nation of Islam. After courting each other during social events (dating wasn’t allowed), Malcolm eventually proposed to her over the phone and the couple was married two days later. The couple went on to have six daughters; here, the activist is seen with his two oldest daughters Qubilah (l.) and Attallah (r.) in 1962.
American Muslim minister and radical civil rights leader, Malcolm X talked to Olatunji, a Nigerian drummer (left) and a Nigerian student, on the day Nigeria declared its independence, Harlem, New York City, October 1, 1960.
Although Malcolm X was popular with the people of the Nation of Islam, he didn’t come into prominence until 1957 after the Johnson-Hinton incident. Hinton was an African man who was brutally beaten by police officers and thrown in jail. Malcolm X was notified and went to the jail to demand the man go to the hospital and by the time the man had returned, hundreds of people had gathered outside. By 1959, Malcolm was featured in a television broadcast about the Nation of Islam, and shortly after, he was invited to the United Nations General Assembly. Here, the human rights activist addresses a rally in Harlem in New York City on June 29, 1963.
Human rights activist Malcolm X supported some of his followers at the courthouse in Queens, New York, during a police brutality case, circa 1955-1965.
While Malcolm X was still with the Nation of Islam, he criticized Martin Luther King Jr. among other civil rights leaders as being “chumps” and “stooges” of the white establishment. Many people, both black and white were alarmed by his beliefs, calling him and the Nation of Islam “hatemongers,” “black supremacists” and “a threat to improve race relations.” While the civil rights movement was trying to end the disfranchisement of African Americans, the Nation of Islam forbade its members from participating in the political process. While the civil rights movement fought against racial segregation, Malcolm advocated for complete segregation claiming that the black people were the original people of the world and that they were therefore superior to white people.
Human rights activist Malcolm X speaking on stage at a rally, New York, circa 1960-1965.
Malcolm X holds up copy of his own newspaper “Muhammad Speaks”, which reads “Our Freedom Can’t Wait,” while standing behind a podium with microphones addressing a crowd at a Black Muslim rally in New York City in 1963.
Human rights activist Malcolm X talking to Nigerian students and African American locals in Harlem, New York, circa 1960-1965.
Legendary boxer Muhammad Ali poses for photos with Malcom X at 125th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem on Feb. 3, 1964.
The home of Black Muslim leader Malcolm X is damaged after two fire bombs sparked a flash fire, Feb. 14, 1965 in New York City. Firemen quickly put out the flames.
Black Muslim leader Malcolm X surveys cement where one of two Molotov cocktails were thrown at his home, Feb. 14, 1965, in New York. The nation of Islam leader, his wife Betty and 4 children were in the house at the time of the firebombing but escaped unharmed.
Malcolm X holds a news conference in the Tapestry Suite of Park Sheraton Hotel in New York City on March 12, 1964.
Human rights activist Malcolm X at Harlem Broadcasting Station, WLIB, expressing his views on the radio, with editor George S Schuyler, circa 1960-1965.
After leaving the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X decided to travel to the world. He first went on a pilgrimage to Mecca in April of 1964, an obligatory journey for every Muslim. He is seen here arriving at Kennedy Airport on May 22, 1964 after his visit to the Middle East. After his journey to Mecca, he visited Africa for a second time meeting with officials, giving interviews and speaking on radio and television in numerous countries. On his way home in November of 1964, Malcolm X also traveled to France and the United Kingdom to make appearances and speeches. His last trip on February 12, 1965 was to Birmingham.
Black Nationalist leader and Nation of Islam spokesman Malcolm X in Oxford, England with Eric Abrahams, right, the Student Union president, before addressing university students on the subject of extremism and liberty, on Dec. 3, 1964.
Malcolm X, left, African-American Black Muslim leader, is shown with King Faisal in Saudi Arabia in July 1964.
Nation of Islam leader Malcolm X , left, with General Abdulrahman Mohamed Babu, leader of the Zanzibar Revolution, on Nov. 23, 1964.
Muslim minister and activist Malcolm X talking to the press at London Airport, February 1965.
Malcolm X, black nationalist leader, talks at a church in Selma, AL, Feb. 4, 1965, to young blacks taking part in voter registration protests. Malcolm X said there should be more militancy in the demonstrations.
On December 1, 1963, Malcolm X made harsh comments about the assassination of President Kennedy saying it was a case of “chickens coming home to roost.” The remarks prompted widespread outcry as the Nation of Islam was left to censor their once shining leader. By March, Malcolm publicly announced his break from the Nation of Islam and showed an interest in organizing a black nationalist organization and working with civil rights leaders. By the middle of 1964, Malcolm X had shifted his beliefs and was now encouraging Africans to exercise their right to vote, but to stay ready to fight.
On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was preparing to address the Organization of Afro-American Unity in Manhattan’s Audubon Ballroom when someone in the 400-person audience started a disturbance. As Malcolm X and body guards tried to calm to audience, a man rushed forward and shot him in the chest with a sawed-off shotgun while two other men charged the stage with handguns. Malcolm was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. This photo shows the bullet holes circled behind where Malcolm X was standing.
The Audubon Ballroom in upper Harlem, New York, after it was roped off by police following the assassination of Malcolm X, Feb. 21, 1965. The Muslim leader was standing at the podium on stage in the background addressing a rally when the fatal bullets felled him.
Followers tend to Malcolm X as he lies mortally wounded on the stage of the Audubon ballroom in Harlem after being shot on Feb. 21, 1965.
The February 22, 1965 cover of the Daily News shows an image of Malcolm X, aged 39, being carried away from the Audubon Ballroom after being shot. The caption mentions that Malcolm was faced with death threats by Black Muslims ever since leaving the Nation of Islam.
Betty Shabazz looks distraught as she’s seen leaving a city morgue after identifying the body of her husband Malcolm X after he was assassinated on Feb. 21, 1965. The iconic human rights activist also left behind six daughters.
After a three day public viewing at Unity Funeral Home in Harlem, in which more than 20,000 people attended, Malcolm X was laid to rest on Feb. 27, 1965. Loudspeakers were set up for the overflow of the crowd outside while the funeral was also televised locally. Malcolm X was buried at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. Malcolm left behind a legacy as being noted as one of the greatest and most influential African Americans in history. There have been books, films, plays, memorials and even street names dedicated to him while his autobiography has become one of the most influential nonfiction books of the 20th century.
