1. MALCOLM X (1925-1965) 1960S HISTORY  CIVIL RIGHTS UNIT SALSBERRY

2. EARLY LIFE   Born in Omaha, Nebraska as Malcolm Little  His father: Baptist minister, believed in the teachings of Marcus Garvey  He believed:  Taking Africa back from European domination  Building a free and United Black Africa  The “Back-to-Africa” Movement Marcus Garvey

3.  Malcolm X’s father received death threats from a white supremacy group known as the “Black Region”  This forced the family to relocate twice  Their house was burned to the ground by the KKK when Malcolm was 4  2 years later, Earl’s body was found lying across the town’s railroad tracks  Police ruled both incidents as accidents  His mother had a nervous breakdown after the death of her husband and was committed to a mental institution  Malcolm and his 7 siblings were split up when he was 14 EARLY LIFE 

4.  Excellent student in Junior High School  Wanted to become a lawyer  “No realistic goal for a nigger” (Malcolm’s Teacher)  Malcolm lost interest and dropped out SCHOOL YEARS  A young Malcolm Little

5.  Went to Boston where he worked odd jobs  Later, he went to Harlem, NY  Petty crimes  Prostitution  Gambling rings  Drugs  Arrested 1946  Burglary  21 years old CHOOSING A LIFE OF CRIME  Malcolm Little’s first mug shot

6.  Converted to Islam while in Prison  Joined the Nation of Islam (NOI) under the control of Elijah Muhammad  Major belief: Allah was God and that white dominance would end  This was an African-American religious, spiritual, mental, and economic movement/organization/religion  Changed his name to Malcolm X  X represented not knowing his real name  Little was his “slave name” PRISON / NATION OF ISLAM 

7. NATION OF ISLAM  Malcolm soon became an important and public figure for the Nation of Islam, giving speeches and going on TV  He also became close with Elijah Muhammad

8. THE MOVEMENT TURNS MILITANT   Critics of the philosophy of non-violence felt as if that philosophy was not taking the movement far enough  Not addressing the problems faced by millions of poor blacks  Also, not thinking in “international” terms  Malcolm X influenced militant groups like the Black Panthers “Move on over or we’ll move on over you.”

9. TROUBLE WITH THE NOI   Two reasons:  Malcolm was upset because Muhammad was having “relations” with multiple NOI women  Malcolm made a comment about the assassination of JFK  Muhammad “silenced” Malcolm for 90 days  In response, Malcolm quit the NOI  Soon after he was marked as a dead man “Marked as a dead man”

10.  As Malcolm matured in his faith, he became less militant and less critical of all white people  Malcolm went on a Pilgrimage to Mecca in 1964  Found Islam could work with all races  Still believed violence was an option  The home he shared with his wife and children was firebombed on February 14, 1965  On February 21, 1965 at a speaking engagement, three gunmen from the NOI shot Malcolm onstage 15 times  Died at 39 THE END  Malcolm praying in Mecca