| A new leader emerged onto the Civil Rights
Movement scene during the 1960's. Malcolm X (1925-1965), whose
original name had been Malcolm Little, was a follower of the black
Muslims. He had changed his surname to X, in protest of using a
slave owner's name. In contrast with Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Malcolm X approved of answering violence with violence.
In his early years, his Baptist minister father had been killed
in what Malcolm X believed was a hate crime, and his mother
experienced mental problems. He first turned to the Black Muslims
of the Nation of Islam after spending time in jail for committing
various crimes. But after visiting Mecca in 1964, he turned away
from his previous teachings of using violence against
oppression.
The following year, Malcolm X was shot and killed by three
members of the Nation of Islam.
In 1992, Spike Lee directed Malcolm X, a
screen-adaptation of the book The Autobiography of Malcolm X
by Malcolm X and Alex Haley (1921-1992). Haley was best known for
his book Roots, which told the story of his enslaved ancestor from
Africa.
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