On this day in 1965, in New York City, Malcolm X ~ African American nationalist and religious leader ~ was assassinated by rival Black Muslims. He was speaking to his Organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights.

A Brief Bio. Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in 1925. His father ~ Earl Little ~ was an outspoken Baptist minister and avid supporter of Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. When his father's civil rights activism prompted death threats from the white supremacist organization ~ Black Legion ~ the family was forced to relocate. Despite Little's efforts to elude the Legion, in 1929 the Little's home was burned to the ground. Two years later Little was brutally murdered. The police refused to prosecute. When Malcolm's mother suffered an emotional breakdown, the children were sent to foster homes and orphanages.

School Days. Malcolm was a good student, but when he was told he could never hope to be a lawyer, he dropped out. By the time he was old enough for high school, he had moved to Boston and had become involved in criminal activities.

Hard Time. In 1946, when he was 21, Malcolm was sent to prison on burglary charges. There, he studied the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam. Nation of Islam ~ whose members are popularly known as Black Muslims ~ taught that white society was working to keep African-Americans from self-empowerment and achieving political, economic and social success. The Nation of Islam fought for a state of their own, separate from one inhabited by white people. By the time Malcolm had finished his jail term, he was a devoted follower. He considered "Little" a slave name and chose the "X" as a symbol of his lost tribal name.

Back on the Outside. When Malcolm X was released from prison in 1952, he became a dedicated minister of the Nation of Islam in Harlem, New York. Unlike civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X advocated self-defense and the liberation of African Americans "by any means necessary." His dynamic style and beliefs attracted thousands of followers.

From Speaking Out to Outspoken.
By the 1960s, Malcolm X had developed a more outspoken philosophy than that of Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm X felt that Elijah Muhammad was not a strong enough advocate of the civil rights movement. Elijah Muhammad, on the other hand, found Malcolm X's teachings too extreme, and Malcolm X too powerful. After Malcolm X wrote off President John F. Kennedy's assassination as a matter of the "chickens coming home to roost," he was suspended from the Nation of Islam. In March of 1964, he ended his relationship with the Nation of Islam and founded the Muslim Mosque, Inc.

Meeting of the Minds in Mecca. Malcolm X made a pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. There he was impressed by the lack of racial discord among orthodox Muslims. He returned to the US as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, with a new outlook on integration. This time, instead of just preaching to African-Americans, he had a message for all races.

A New Day. In June of 1964, he founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity. The Organization of Afro-American Unity advocated black identity and believed that racism, rather than the white race, was the greatest foe of the African American. His new movement and more moderate philosophy gained followers. He became more influential in the civil rights movement, especially among the leaders of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Armed Philosophies. Relations between Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam deteriorated after he renounced Elijah Muhammad. Informants from the Nation of Islam warned that Malcolm had been targeted for assassination. On February 14, 1965 the New York home where Malcolm, Betty and their four daughters lived was firebombed, though the family was not injured.