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Malcolm X
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Born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska, Malcolm X was an important leader during the Civil Rights era. After graduating at the top of his class in junior high school, Malcolm dropped out before the ninth grade. His ambition was to become a lawyer, but a teacher had told him it was not a realistic goal for an African American. He was placed in foster homes and then left for Boston to live with his half-sister. Eventually, he moved to Harlem in New York City. There he became involved in drugs, gambling, and pimping. He later was drafted during World War II, but the military physicians labeled him “mentally disqualified for military service.” Malcolm was arrested for breaking and entering, carrying a firearm, and larceny. While in prison, he was given the nickname “Satan” because of his constant cursing of God and the Bible. Also while in jail, he joined the Nation of Islam, a militant sect for African Americans, and became active in this “black nationalist group.” It was then he became known as Malcolm X. The last name X is given when you are one of the most powerful in the Nation of Islam. |
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Malcolm X later married, Betty, in 1958, in Lansing, Michigan. They had six daughters. He often traveled around the world preaching to African Americans about their freedom and his beliefs. A very important leader during the Civil Rights movement in America, he was quoted as saying, "Concerning nonviolence, it is criminal to teach a man not to defend himself when he is the constant victim of brutal attacks.” Malcolm X believed that peoples' goals needed to be reached by violence. On February 21, 1965, after giving a speech, Malcolm X was assassinated. He was shot 15 times by two other men after a first shot was fired by a different man. |
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