Malcolm X was the most articulate voice of Black anger and pride in mid-century America, challenging the integrationist approach of Martin Luther King Jr. with a philosophy of Black nationalism and self-defense. Born Malcolm Little in Omaha, he was shaped by his father's murder and mother's institutionalization before a prison conversion to the Nation of Islam transformed him.
As the Nation of Islam's chief spokesman, Malcolm rejected integration as begging for acceptance from white oppressors. He advocated Black self-reliance, separatism, and defense 'by any means necessary.' His rhetorical brilliance and unflinching confrontation of white racism made him both feared and admired.
A 1964 pilgrimage to Mecca transformed Malcolm's worldview. He encountered white Muslims and embraced a more inclusive Islam, breaking with the Nation of Islam and its leader Elijah Muhammad. His new Organization of Afro-American Unity connected Black American struggles to global human rights. This evolution was cut short by assassination in 1965. His autobiography, completed with Alex Haley, became one of the most influential books of the 20th century.