History UsefulNotes / MalcolmX

Malcolm was [[MassiveNumberedSiblings the seventh of nine children]] born in Nebraska to [[GenerationXerox Baptist preacher Earl Little]] and day laborer Louise Little. After Malcolm's father was murdered by local racists, and Malcolm's mother was institutionalized, he became a ward of the state, bouncing around between foster parents and detention homes. Brilliant, but defiant of authority, Malcolm eventually became embroiled with the jazz scene and criminal underbelly of Harlem. Malcolm's intelligence enabled him to become a successful numbers runner and housebreaker, before eventually making a fatal mistake that got him caught and sent to the penitentiary for 15 years. While in prison, a fellow prisoner encouraged Malcolm to use his time in prison to improve himself, study as much as he could, and kick some of his bad habits (such as his addiction to heroin). Malcolm's self-education, which included reading the dictionary cover-to-cover and all 11 volumes of Will Durant's ''Story of Civilization'' convinced him that he and other children were taught a [[PoliticallyCorrectHistory Eurocentric, white-dominated view of history]] that was being used to maintain the inferior social status of Black people. His life further changed when his brother Reginald invited him to join the Nation of Islam, a religious movement founded in the 1930s that preached the divine origin and supremacy of the Black race. In his correspondence with the Nation's leader, Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm eventually joined the movement and was invited to become one of its ministers when he was released. He was given the name Malcolm X, with [[LetXBeTheUnknown the X representing his real name that was lost to history]], replacing the name "Little" that he had inherited from white slaveholders.

Summed up in one speech as this:
->''We declare our right on this earth to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary.''

'''Malcolm X''' (born '''Malcolm Little''', also named '''El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz''' at the end of his life), (May 19, 1925 -- February 21, 1965) was a leader of the American UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement [[note]]It's worth noting that Malcolm himself would likely contest this claim. He had always distinguished himself from the Civil Rights Movement, first as a black separatist opposed to integration and then as a black nationalist who felt that the Civil Rights Movement was too limited in its aims. Malcolm, for the record, always called himself a HUMAN rights activist, not a civil rights activist.[[/note]] and contemporary to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, until his assassination in [[TheSixties 1965]]. While King was known for UsefulNotes/{{Mahatma Gandhi}}-styled civil disobedience, Malcolm X was known for a more militant response, which he deemed necessary to bring about positive change.

Malcolm was the seventh of nine children born in Nebraska to Baptist preacher Earl Little and day laborer Louise Little. After Malcolm's father was murdered by local racists, and Malcolm's mother was institutionalized, he became a ward of the state, bouncing around between foster parents and detention homes. Brilliant, but defiant of authority, Malcolm eventually became embroiled with the jazz scene and criminal underbelly of Harlem. Malcolm's intelligence enabled him to become a successful numbers runner and housebreaker, before eventually making a fatal mistake that got him caught and sent to the penitentiary for 15 years. While in prison, a fellow prisoner encouraged Malcolm to use his time in prison to improve himself, study as much as he could, and kick some of his bad habits (such as his addiction to heroin). Malcolm's self-education, which included reading the dictionary cover-to-cover and all 11 volumes of Will Durant's ''Story of Civilization'' convinced him that he and other children were taught a Eurocentric, white-dominated view of history that was being used to maintain the inferior social status of Black people. His life further changed when his brother Reginald invited him to join the Nation of Islam, a religious movement founded in the 1930s that preached the divine origin and supremacy of the Black race. In his correspondence with the Nation's leader, Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm eventually joined the movement and was invited to become one of its ministers when he was released. He was given the name Malcolm X, with the X representing his real name that was lost to history, replacing the name "Little" that he had inherited from white slaveholders.

When Malcolm was paroled, he became the head minister of the Nation of Islam's Temple #7 in Harlem. He actively participated in organizing efforts in major cities such as Boston, Detroit, and Philadelphia and quickly made a name for himself as one of the most successful evangelists in the organization. Even those that didn't fully agree with his theology approved of his confidence, charisma, and pro-black ideology. It was even speculated that he could win a seat in Congress if he chose the right district. Unfortunately he ran afoul of white detractors who believed that he was simply an anti-white racist preaching hate and violence. His apparent advocacy for the use of violence in self-defense and his often repeated refrain, "by any means necessary", helped to stoke fears that the Nation of Islam was a black supremacist cult that was attempting the violent overthrow of white society. Other voices in the Civil Rights movement disapproved of him as well: the NAACP disliked his inflammatory rhetoric and confrontational approach, while those such as Martin Luther King Jr. disdained his push for separatism, believing that cooperation between the races was still a goal worth fighting for. Ironically, however, many white segregationists (including the Ku Klux Klan) supported Malcolm X's push for separation, believing him a safe alternative to the supposedly crypto-communist Civil Rights movement.

Despite acting as a mouthpiece for the Nation of Islam, Malcolm was still as fiercely independent as he ever was. He was not afraid to deviate from standard Nation teachings as he felt necessary, or even to disobey direct orders if he felt that it was right. This eventually caused a rift between himself and Elijah Muhammad, after Malcolm gave a speech celebrating the assassination of John F. Kennedy, something he had been explicitly told not to do. Malcolm was censured by the Nation and placed on probation, prohibited from speaking publicly or entering Nation temples. Shortly afterward, Malcolm took a trip abroad, including to the holy city of Mecca and various nations in Africa. There, he began to realize how provincial the Nation of Islam's theology was, and how Islam as practiced around the world differed from his own. This, combined with his frustration with the Nation of Islam's non-political stance, a series of scandals involving Elijah Muhammad impregnating his young secretaries, and his desire to organize with other human rights activists, caused him to formally leave the Nation of Islam and start two of his own organizations: The Organization of African American Unity and the Muslim Mosque, Inc. Despite leaving the Nation, he refused to moderate his rhetoric, believing that at the very least his militant stance would make whites more receptive to those such as Martin Luther King. Unfortunately, after only a year of independence, Malcolm X was assassinated on March 5, 1965.

Malcolm's legacy is shrouded in myth, caught between the deification of those who wish to put him on a pedestal and the demonization of his white critics who wish to paint him as a common racist. Further complicating the picture is the relative lack of reliable accounts of his life and beliefs: personal accounts are sparse and oftentimes contradictory, and biographical accounts have their own share of flaws. The only hints we have about what Malcolm X truly believed come from his many, many speeches, debates, and interviews, but oftentimes it is difficult to see where the Nation of Islam ends and Malcolm X begins. Malcolm X's assassination has caused widespread speculation as well. It was apparently the standalone work of a pair of black supremacists who were umbraged at Malcolm's changing philosophy, but there have been hints that the Nation of Islam and/or the FBI (which had placed Malcolm under surveillance for years) may have been involved as well.

Malcolm was the seventh of nine children born in Nebraska to Baptist preacher Earl Little and day laborer Louise Little. After Malcolm's father was murdered by local racists, and Malcolm's mother was institutionalized, he became a ward of the state, bouncing around between foster parents and detention homes. Brilliant, but defiant of authority, Malcolm eventually became embroiled with the jazz scene and criminal underbelly of Harlem. Malcolm's intelligence enabled him to become a successful numbers runner and housebreaker, before eventually making a fatal mistake that got him caught and sent to the penitentiary for 15 years. While in prison, a fellow prisoner encouraged Malcolm to use his time in prison to improve himself, study as much as he could, and kick some of his bad habits (such as his addiction to heroin). Malcolm's self-education, which included reading the dictionary cover-to-cover and all 11 volumes of Will Durant's ''Story of Civilization'' convinced him that he and other children were taught a Eurocentric, white-dominated view of history that was being used to maintain the inferior social status of Black people. His life further changed when his brother Reginald invited him to join the Nation of Islam, a religious movement founded in the 1930s that preached the divine origin and supremacy of the Black race. In his correspondence with the Nation's leader, Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm eventually joined the movement and was invited to become one of its ministers when he was released.

'''Malcolm X''' (born '''Malcolm Little''', also named '''El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz''' at the end of his life), (May 19, 1925 -- February 21, 1965) was a leader of the American UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement [[note]]It's worth noting that Malcolm himself would likely contest this claim. He had always distinguished himself from the Civil Rights Movement, first as a black separatist opposed to integration and then as a black nationalist who felt that the Civil Rights Movement was too limited in its aims. Malcolm, for the record, always called himself a HUMAN rights activist, not a civil rights activist.[[/note]] and contemporary to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, until his assassination in [[TheSixties 1965]]. While King was known for UsefulNotes/{{Mahatma Gandhi}}-styled civil disobedience, Malcolm X was known for a more militant response, which he deemed necessary to bring about positive change. Summed up in one speech as this:
->''One of my reasons for going out on a limb as I have is to try and make white people be shocked, awake to some of their senses. Because if they don't awake they're gonna find out that this little Negro that they thought was passive has become a roaring, uncontrollable lion right in, right at their doorst--not at their doorstep--inside their house, in their bed, in their kitchen, in their attic, in their basement. And if you know that in time you can do something about it.''

* He briefly appears in ''Film/{{Selma}}, shortly before his assassination. He is played by Nigel Thatch.

!!Malcolm X provides examples of:

* AgeGapAlgebra: In his autobiography, he cites the half-your-age-plus-seven rule as having factored into his decision to propose to his future wife.
* AngryBlackMan: Though he was not the first African-American civil rights leader to use furious and fiery rhetoric, he certainly made it popular. In his later years he mellowed somewhat, one theory for his assassination being that he was killed by a competing Black Power faction who didn't want him persuading the movement to be less angry and more conciliatory.
* AwesomeMcCoolName: As is natural for any name that has "X" in it.
* BadassBookworm: The impression conveyed by most of his pictures, reinforced by his militancy and extensive reading.
* BerserkButton: [[DefiedTrope Defied]] by Malcolm himself, according to his autobiography; he almost never talked about his institutionalized mother, for fear that he would snap if somebody were to make the wrong remark.
* BiTheWay: A number of biographers believe that he prostituted himself to a few men in his early years.
* CatchPhrase: "...By any means necessary."
* CharacterDevelopment: After his conversion to Sunni Islam and spending time overseas in Muslim countries, he became struck by the relative broad-scale egalitarianism displayed by Middle Eastern countries (for instance, when he was in Egypt, he couldn't help but notice that Anwar Sadat, the Vice President and one of the leaders of the military junta in charge at the time, was half-black, which wasn't even close to being an issue with the rest of the Egyptian leadership[[note]]Much of the junta considered Sadat a bit slow, but that had nothing to do with his skin color and more to do with how Sadat's office, that of Vice President, had few duties; nobody today doubts Sadat's intelligence, given that when as Vice President he succeeded President Gamal Abdel Nasser upon Nasser's sudden death in 1970, some other junta members tried to unseat him and he responded by [[ThePurge purging them brutally]] and then embarking on a ''vast'' reshaping of Egyptian policy with lasting effects.[[/note]]--most of whom were dark-skinned, but all of whom would unquestionably be "white" in America). The effect stuck with him and by his own admission made him rethink his own hostility towards white Americans. Though he died before making his more recent opinions known, there were some indications that he was leaving behind or even disapproved of his prior methods.
* HotBlooded: As his [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans catchphrase]] might suggest, Malcolm believed that violence was the only way to get things done in many cases.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: One of the most aggressive leaders of the Civil Rights Movement.
* LetXBeTheUnknown: He claimed the X represented his "true name" that belonged to his African ancestors, as opposed to the "slave name" of Little.
* MalcolmXerox: The TropeNamer and TropeCodifier. Again, subverted after his pilgrimage and the ensuing softening of his rhetoric and stances.
* MeaningfulRename: He adapted X as a last name because he didn't want to use a name that came from some slavemaster.
* UsefulNotes/{{Michigan}}: Grew up in Lansing, Michigan; Main Street in Lansing was renamed Malcolm X Street in 2010. (And yes, it intersects with Martin Luther King Boulevard, right outside the GM Lansing Grand River Assembly plant.)
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: After his pilgrimage to Mecca, where he saw Muslims of all races living peacefully together, Malcolm's views changed significantly. He openly came to regret many of his former beliefs by the time he was killed.
* NecessaryEvil: Later in life he described his more militant methods as part of a sort of two-pronged approach to civil rights activism: by pulling heat onto himself and his followers, he allowed his contemporaries more room to work and made the greater civil rights movement more attractive. This likely had something to do with his general shift to a more moderate attitude in his later years, though it's unclear if his "shock to the system" mindset ever died down completely.
* NotSoDifferent: To Martin Luther King Jr. Both fought against segregation and racial discrimination against black people. However, their methods on approaching the issue were different. Martin Luther King Jr. preferred a peaceful TurnTheOtherCheek approach while Malcolm X preferred a ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption approach when dealing with racism. He did recant some of his violent viewpoints after his pilgrimage to Mecca though.
* OddFriendship: Malcolm X was actually good friends with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. despite the difference of their methods in the Civil Rights Movement. There is even [[http://kwanzaaguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/martin-luther-king-and-malcolm-x1.jpg a famous photo]] of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X standing side-by-side together smiling. [[note]]This photo was taken sometime after Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam and said photo was actually used in Creator/SpikeLee's ''Film/DoTheRightThing''[[/note]] This was the only time the pair ever met, while visiting the Capitol before the signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
* RousingSpeech: So, so many.
* ScaryBlackMan: How many white people perceived him. It seems to have been intended by him.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: The cynical counterpart to MLK's idealist.
* TookALevelInKindness: After his pilgrimage.
* ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption:: Strong believer of this. This is subverted that his violent viewpoints were toned down after his pilgrimage to Mecca.
* WartsAndAll: Malcolm's autobiography was being compiled both before and after his pilgrimage to Mecca. He declined to re-do the pre-Mecca sections, which were often very prejudiced, in order to underscore just how much he had changed.
* WhatTheHellHero: His early, pre-Mecca speeches can often come across this way. Special mention goes to the time when he was asked about the UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy assassination and he called it "chickens coming home to roost." [[note]]It's a phrase that basically means "What goes around comes around." What he meant was that a society that has to use violent suppression to stay in power (in this case, racist Southern whites) will eventually end up using that violence on themselves, and that this is the inevitable road for all violent societies.[[/note]] The Nation of Islam, which was officially very sympathetic with the Kennedy family and their loss, censured Malcolm. This event, among others, led to him leaving the Nation of Islam.

'''Malcolm X''' (born '''Malcolm Little''', also named '''El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz''' at the end of his life), (May 19, 1925 -- February 21, 1965) was a leader of the American UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement [[note]]It's worth noting that Malcolm himself would likely contest this claim; he was specifically part of the Black Power wing, which insisted that it was not part of the mainstream Civil Rights Movement but a separate movement in its own right. Malcolm, for the record, always called himself a HUMAN rights activist, not a civil rights activist.[[/note]] and contemporary to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, until his assassination in [[TheSixties 1965]]. While King was known for UsefulNotes/{{Mahatma Gandhi}}-styled civil disobedience, Malcolm X was known for a more militant response, which he deemed necessary to bring about positive change. Summed up in one speech as this:

----

'''Malcolm X''' (born '''Malcolm Little''', also named '''El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz''' at the end of his life), (May 19, 1925 -- February 21, 1965) was a leader of the American UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement [[note]]It's worth noting that Malcolm himself would likely contest this claim; he was specifically part of the Black Power wing, which insisted that it was not part of the mainstream Civil Rights Movement but a separate movement in its own right. Malcolm, for the record, always called himself a HUMAN rights activist, not a civil rights activist.[[/note]] and contemporary to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, until his assassination in [[TheSixties 1965]]. While King was known for {{Mahatma Gandhi}}-styled civil disobedience, Malcolm X was known for a more militant response, which he deemed necessary to bring about positive change. Summed up in one speech as this:

!!Malcolm X provides examples of:

* AgeGapAlgebra: In his autobiography, he cites the half-your-age-plus-seven rule as having factored into his decision to propose to his future wife.
* AngryBlackMan: Though he was not the first African-American civil rights leader to use furious and fiery rhetoric, he certainly made it popular. In his later years he mellowed somewhat, one theory for his assassination being that he was killed by a competing Black Power faction who didn't want him persuading the movement to be less angry and more conciliatory.
* AwesomeMcCoolName: As is natural for any name that has "X" in it.
* BadassBookworm: The impression conveyed by most of his pictures, reinforced by his militancy and extensive reading.
* BerserkButton: [[DefiedTrope Defied]] by Malcolm himself, according to his autobiography; he almost never talked about his institutionalized mother, for fear that he would snap if somebody were to make the wrong remark.
* BiTheWay: A number of biographers believe that he prostituted himself to a few men in his early years.
* CatchPhrase: "...By any means necessary."
* CharacterDevelopment: After his conversion to Sunni Islam and spending time overseas in Muslim countries, he became struck by the relative broad-scale egalitarianism displayed by Middle Eastern countries (for instance, when he was in Egypt, he couldn't help but notice that Anwar Sadat, the Vice President and one of the leaders of the military junta in charge at the time, was half-black, which wasn't even close to being an issue with the rest of the Egyptian leadership[[note]]Much of the junta considered Sadat a bit slow, but that had nothing to do with his skin color and more to do with how Sadat's office, that of Vice President, had few duties; nobody today doubts Sadat's intelligence, given that when as Vice President he succeeded President Gamal Abdel Nasser upon Nasser's sudden death in 1970, some other junta members tried to unseat him and he responded by [[ThePurge purging them brutally]] and then embarking on a ''vast'' reshaping of Egyptian policy with lasting effects.[[/note]]--most of whom were dark-skinned, but all of whom would unquestionably be "white" in America). The effect stuck with him and by his own admission made him rethink his own hostility towards white Americans. Though he died before making his more recent opinions known, there were some indications that he was leaving behind or even disapproved of his prior methods.
* HotBlooded: As his [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans catchphrase]] might suggest, Malcolm believed that violence was the only way to get things done in many cases.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: One of the most aggressive leaders of the Civil Rights Movement.
* LetXBeTheUnknown: He claimed the X represented his "true name" that belonged to his African ancestors, as opposed to the "slave name" of Little.
* MalcolmXerox: The TropeNamer and TropeCodifier. Again, subverted after his pilgrimage and the ensuing softening of his rhetoric and stances.
* MeaningfulRename: He adapted X as a last name because he didn't want to use a name that came from some slavemaster.
* UsefulNotes/{{Michigan}}: Grew up in Lansing, Michigan; Main Street in Lansing was renamed Malcolm X Street in 2010. (And yes, it intersects with Martin Luther King Boulevard, right outside the GM Lansing Grand River Assembly plant.)
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: After his pilgrimage to Mecca, where he saw Muslims of all races living peacefully together, Malcolm's views changed significantly. He openly came to regret many of his former beliefs by the time he was killed.
* NecessaryEvil: Later in life he described his more militant methods as part of a sort of two-pronged approach to civil rights activism: by pulling heat onto himself and his followers, he allowed his contemporaries more room to work and made the greater civil rights movement more attractive. This likely had something to do with his general shift to a more moderate attitude in his later years, though it's unclear if his "shock to the system" mindset ever died down completely.
* NotSoDifferent: To Martin Luther King Jr. Both fought against segregation and racial discrimination against black people. However, their methods on approaching the issue were different. Martin Luther King Jr. preferred a peaceful TurnTheOtherCheek approach while Malcolm X preferred a ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption approach when dealing with racism. He did recant some of his violent viewpoints after his pilgrimage to Mecca though.
* OddFriendship: Malcolm X was actually good friends with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. despite the difference of their methods in the Civil Rights Movement. There is even [[http://kwanzaaguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/martin-luther-king-and-malcolm-x1.jpg a famous photo]] of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X standing side-by-side together smiling. [[note]]This photo was taken sometime after Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam and said photo was actually used in Creator/SpikeLee's ''Film/DoTheRightThing''[[/note]] This was the only time the pair ever met, while visiting the Capitol before the signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
* RousingSpeech: So, so many.
* ScaryBlackMan: How many white people perceived him. It seems to have been intended by him.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: The cynical counterpart to MLK's idealist.
* TookALevelInKindness: After his pilgrimage.
* ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption:: Strong believer of this. This is subverted that his violent viewpoints were toned down after his pilgrimage to Mecca.
* WartsAndAll: Malcolm's autobiography was being compiled both before and after his pilgrimage to Mecca. He declined to re-do the pre-Mecca sections, which were often very prejudiced, in order to underscore just how much he had changed.
* WhatTheHellHero: His early, pre-Mecca speeches can often come across this way. Special mention goes to the time when he was asked about the UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy assassination and he called it "chickens coming home to roost." [[note]]It's a phrase that basically means "What goes around comes around." What he meant was that a society that has to use violent suppression to stay in power (in this case, racist Southern whites) will eventually end up using that violence on themselves, and that this is the inevitable road for all violent societies.[[/note]] The Nation of Islam, which was officially very sympathetic with the Kennedy family and their loss, censured Malcolm. This event, among others, led to him leaving the Nation of Islam.

!Malcolm X in media:

----

* WhatTheHellHero: His early, pre-Mecca speeches can often come across this way. Special mention goes to the time when he was asked about the JohnFKennedy assassination and he called it "chickens coming home to roost." [[note]]It's a phrase that basically means "What goes around comes around." What he meant was that a society that has to use violent suppression to stay in power (in this case, racist Southern whites) will eventually end up using that violence on themselves, and that this is the inevitable road for all violent societies.[[/note]] The Nation of Islam, which was officially very sympathetic with the Kennedy family and their loss, censured Malcolm. This event, among others, led to him leaving the Nation of Islam.

* LetXBeTheUnknown: He claimed the X represented his "true name" that belonged to his African ancestors, as opposed to the "slave name" of Little.

* {{Foil}}: To Martin Luther King and his non-violent solution to the non-European-American community's lack of rights.

* MalcomXerox: The TropeNamer and TropeCodifier. Again, subverted after his pilgrimage and the ensuing softening of his rhetoric and stances.

* HotBlooded

* CharacterDevelopment: After his conversion to Sunni Islam and spending time overseas in Muslim countries, he became struck by the relative broad-scale egalitarianism displayed by Middle Eastern countries (for instance, when he was in Egypt, he couldn't help but notice that Anwar Sadat, the Vice President and one of the leaders of the military junta in charge at the time, was half-black, which wasn't even close to being an issue with the rest of the Egyptian leadership[[note]]Much of the junta considered Sadat a bit slow, but that had nothing to do with his skin color and more to do with how Sadat's office, that of Vice President, had few duties; nobody today doubts Sadat's intelligence, given that when as Vice President he succeeded President Gamal Abdel Nasser, when he died in 1970, some other junta members tried to unseat him and he responded by [[ThePurge purging them brutally]] and then embarking on a ''vast'' reshaping of Egyptian policy with lasting effects.[[/note]]--most of whom were dark-skinned, but all of whom would unquestionably be "white" in America). The effect stuck with him and by his own admission made him rethink his own hostility towards white Americans. Though he died before making his more recent opinions known, there were some indications that he was leaving behind or even disapproved of his prior methods.

* CharacterDevelopment: After his conversion to Sunni Islam and spending time overseas in Muslim countries, he became struck by the relative broad-scale egalitarianism displayed by Middle Eastern countries (for instance, when he was in Egypt, he couldn't help but notice that Anwar Sadat, one of the leaders of the military junta in charge at the time, was half-black, which wasn't even close to being an issue with the rest of the Egyptian leadership--most of whom were dark-skinned, but all of whom would unquestionably be "white" in America). The effect stuck with him and by his own admission made him rethink his own hostility towards white Americans. Though he died before making his more recent opinions known, there were some indications that he was leaving behind or even disapproved of his prior methods.

* UsefulNotes/{{Michigan}}: Grew up in Lansing, Michigan; Main Street in Lansing was renamed Malcolm X Street in 2010. (And yes, it intersects with Martin Luther King Boulevard, right outside the GM Lansing Grand River Assembly plant.

'''Malcolm X''' (born '''Malcolm Little''', also named '''El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz''' at the end of his life) was a leader of the American UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement [[note]]It's worth noting that Malcolm himself would likely contest this claim; he was specifically part of the Black Power wing, which insisted that it was not part of the mainstream Civil Rights Movement but a separate movement in its own right. Malcolm, for the record, always called himself a HUMAN rights activist, not a civil rights activist.[[/note]] and contemporary to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, until his assassination in [[TheSixties 1965]]. While King was known for {{Mahatma Gandhi}}-styled civil disobedience, Malcolm X was known for a more militant response, which he deemed necessary to bring about positive change. Summed up in one speech as this:

* Creator/SpikeLee made a movie about his life, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin simply titled]] ''Film/MalcolmX''.

* WartsAndAll: Malcolm's autobiography was being compiled both before and after his pilgrimage to Mecca. He declined to re-do the pre-Mecca sections, to highlight just how much he had changed.