Malcolm X (Malcolm Little)

Malcolm X, whose original name was Malcolm Little, and had the Muslim name El-Haji Malik El-Shabazz, was born on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska and died February 21, 1965 in New York City, where he was shot to death at a rally of his followers at a Harlem ballroom by three Black Muslims (About). Malcolm's mother, Louise Norton Little was a homemaker, taking care of eight children, and his father, Earl Little, was an outspoken Baptist minister and very strong supporter of the Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. His father's civil rights activities prompted death threats from the white supremacist organization known as Black Legion, and this made the family move twice before Malcolm reached the age of four. In 1929, the Black Legion burned their Lansing, Michigan, home to the ground, and two years later, Earl's body was found lying across the town's trolley tracks. Although both incidents were ruled accidents by the police, the family was certain the Black Legion were responsible, and Louise suffered an emotional breakdown several years after her husband's death and was committed to a mental institution. Her children were split up into various foster homes and orphanages.

Malcolm was a bright student and graduated top of his junior high school class (About). However, when his hopes of becoming a lawyer were dashed by a teacher who told him it was an impossible dream for a person of color, he dropped out of school, and spent some time in Boston, Massachu

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