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Facts about Malcolm X
1 – Malcolm X was born on May 19th, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska with the birth name Malcolm Little.
2 – He had a rough childhood in which he saw his father get killed by white men when he was six years old.
3 – Malcolm X went to prison for burglary at the age of 20 and this is where he became an activist.
4 – After being released from prison, Malcolm X joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz.
In 1964, after leaving the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X founded Muslim Mosque Incorporated (MMI) with Muhammad Abdul Alhazred as president.
5 – On February 21st 1965, while giving a speech at Manhattan’s Audubon Ballroom about Black Nationalism or “Black Power,” two members of the Nation of Islam shot him dead with shotguns and pistols because they disagreed with what he said that day.
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6 – On February 21st 1965 Malcolm X was assassinated by three gunmen from the Nation of Islam Organization who claimed responsibility for shooting him as revenge for his departure from their organization.
7 – His autobiography “The Autobiography” is considered one of the most influential books on race and politics ever written by an African American.
8 – Malcolm X was a civil rights activist who advocated for the liberation of black people from white oppression.
He also believed that African Americans should have their own independent nation, and he supported the idea of a global revolution to end injustice against those who were oppressed.
9 – His father Earl Little was a Baptist minister and his mother Louise Norton Little worked as a housekeeper.
10 – Malcolm X had six brothers: Philbert, Wilfred, Reginald, Earl Jr, Robert and Wesley while he also had four sisters: Ella Collins, Yvonne, Hilda, and Mary.
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11 – His mother remained in a mental institution for 26 years.
12 – Malcolm X had four daughters: Attalah, born 1958, Qubilah, born 1960, Ilyasah born 1962 and Gamiliah born 1964, Malaak and Malikah Shabazz, born 1965.
13 – Following the assassination of John F Kennedy on November 22 1963 by Lee Harvey Oswald ,Malcolm X became disillusioned with Elijah Muhammad’s teachings because they seemed to be blaming JFK’s death on whites instead of acknowledging that it could have been done by someone within their own organization.
14 – In 1947, after living in Boston for seven years with his mother’s family, the Little family moved to Milwaukee because they believed that there were better opportunities for African Americans in Wisconsin than in Boston or New York City.
15 – On February 21st 1965 he was assassinated by three members of the Nation of Islam (NOI) while giving a speech at Manhattan’s Audubon Ballroom.
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16 – In 1963 he became the minister of Temple Number Seven in Harlem, New York City, which was an all-black temple at that time.
17 – The FBI followed his every move after he declared himself to be a communist who was opposed to the Korean War. He wrote this in a letter to President Harry Truman.
18 – He called his original surname his slave name which is why he dropped it and adopted the letter X instead.
19 – His dad was found dead on the tracks of his local streetcar when Malcolm was just six year old. It is assumed that his father may have been murdered by white supremacists.
20 – When Malcolm was 13 he was sent to a foster home after his mother had a nervous breakdown. He was expelled later from a detention home after putting a thumbtack on a teacher’s chair.
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21 – He actually converted to Islam while he was in jail, after being urged by his brother Reginald to do so.
22 – He inspired Muhammad Ali to join the Nation Of Islam. Muhammad was originally known as Cassius Clay prior to his conversion.
23 – After breaking with the Nation of Islam in 1964 and converting to Sunni Islam, he preached that white Americans needed to understand their own racism before challenging racism elsewhere in the world.
24 – Malcolm X said: You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.
25 – Other famous quotes by Malcolm X include:
The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.
I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color.
Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you’re a man, you take it.
