Malcolm X is one of the most important African American leaders in history. However, the details of his life and legacy can become divisive in the retelling. A controversial, inspiring figure, Malcolm X’s courageous—yet extreme—politics dramatically shaped racial discourse in America.
A prominent figure and spokesperson for the Nation of Islam in the 1950s and ‘60s, Malcolm X articulated concepts of race pride and black nationalism. To his followers, he was a brave advocate for civil rights. To his detractors, he was someone who promoted fanaticism and violence.
There’s no doubt he made a significant impact on American race relations, giving a voice to many urban black Americans and fighting against discrimination.
Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam
In 1946, Malcolm X was arrested on charges of larceny and sentenced to 10 years in prison. It was during his time in prison that Malcolm X discovered the Nation of Islam, a small sect of black Muslims who embraced black nationalism.
After converting, Malcolm X traveled to Detroit, Michigan, to work with the group’s leader, Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm X eventually became the minister of Temple No. 7 in Harlem, New York, and Temple No. 11 in Boston, Massachusetts, while also founding new temples. In 1960, he established a national newspaper, Muhammad Speaks, to promote the message of the Nation of Islam. Thanks to his efforts, the sect grew from 400 members to 40,000 members by 1960.
Falling out of faith
In 1963, Malcolm X learned that Elijah Muhammad, who had become his mentor, had violated many of his own teachings, including fathering several children out of wedlock. Their relationship was already rocky at the time. Muhammad had been angered by Malcolm X’s insensitive comments about former President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Muhammad’s anger combined with Malcolm X’s feeling of betrayal led Malcolm X to leave the Nation of Islam in 1964.
That same year, Malcolm X traveled to North Africa and the Middle East. He learned to embrace socialism and pan-Africanism, and he made the hajj, the traditional Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, where he converted to traditional Islam.
Assassination and legacy
Malcolm X returned to the United States with new ideas about achieving a peaceful resolution to America’s race problems. Tragically, he never had a chance to share his newfound beliefs and ideas. On Feb. 21, 1965, while preparing to give a speech at the Audubon Ballroom in New York, Malcolm X was gunned down by three men who stormed the stage, shooting him 15 times at point-blank range. Malcolm X was dead at 39 years old. The three men convicted of his assassination were all members of the Nation of Islam.
Malcolm X’s legacy as a civil rights hero was solidified in 1965 by the posthumous publication of “The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley,” a spiritual narrative that describes his philosophy of black pride, black nationalism, and pan-Africanism. In 1998, Time magazine named the autobiography one of the 10 most influential nonfiction books of the 20th century.
Malcolm X’s words and mission ring true today, where the battle for equality is not yet over.
