Who Is Malcolm X?

As an influential African-American leader, Malcolm X climbed to fame in the mid-1950s as an outspoken national minister of the Nation of Islam under Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm challenged the civil rights movement (Malcolm X, Enotes.com). He openly called for black independence and snubbed nonviolence and integration as an effective means of contesting racism. In the 1960s, however, Malcolm rejected Muhammad and the Nation of Islam and embraced conventional Islam. He authenticated his various experiences in The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965), a work prepared with the help of American writer Alex Haley. The Autobiography was published after Malcolm’s death and has been called a compelling and irreplaceable book.
Biographical Information
He made a pilgrimage to Mecca, and took the name, El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. In Mecca, he undertook a transformation in his beliefs. Malcolm said, "Since I learned the truth in Mecca, my dearest friends have come to include all kinds, some Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, agnostics, and even atheists! I have friends who are called capitalists, Socialists, and Communists! Some of my friends are moderates, conservatives, extremists and some are even Uncle Toms! My friends today are black, brown, red, yellow, and white” (X, Malcolm, “Learning to Read”). Malcolm even took a diplomatic trip to Africa, and he began the work of uniting blacks across the world, later establishing the Organization of Afro-American Unity in the United States. In doing this, Malcolm now believed that the Nation of Islam saw him as a threat. He stated, "Now I'm out.” "And there's the fear that if my image isn't shattered, the Muslims in the movement will leave” (X, Malcolm. The Autobiography of Malcolm X). Indeed, Elijah Muhammad wrote in his periodical Muhammad Speaks that Malcolm was worthy of death. On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated while delivering a speech to an audience of four hundred followers in the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, New York. Malcolm was gunned down in the presence of his wife, Betty and four children. The three men associated with the Nation of Islam, Talmadge Thayer, Norman 3X Butler, and Thomas 15X Johnson were caught and eventually convicted for Malcolm’s