- Anytime you have a to itself as
the free world and a democracy,
and at the same time has 22 million of its
citizens who aren't permitted
citizenship, why that in itself
reflects lunacy. NARRATOR: Malcolm X
was a civil rights crusader, black
nationalist, and Muslim minister. He was born
Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925 in
Omaha, Nebraska. Malcolm's father was
a Baptist preacher and outspoken
supporter of black activist
Marcus Garvey. As a result,
the Littles were frequently
terrorized by white
supremacist groups. Despite his
family's attempts to evade harassment,
young Malcolm felt the trauma
of racist violence firsthand when
his father was killed
under mysterious circumstances. A brilliant
student, Malcolm was discouraged
and demeaned by white teachers,
who ultimately pushed him
to drop out of school at age 15. Bouncing between
Boston, Flint, and Harlem during
his teenage years, Malcolm turned to
crime to get by. In 1946, at
age 21, he was arrested
for burglary and sentenced
with eight to 10 years in prison. While incarcerated,
Malcolm developed a new and
radical worldview based in
liberation and self-determination. Through the influence
of fellow prisoner John Bembry, Malcolm
became an insatiable reader. He soon found
himself drawn to the teachings of
the Nation of Islam, a pro-black
religious group led by Elijah Muhammad. Accepting his
new faith, Malcolm severed
ties to the past, changing his
last name to X as a representation
of his lost African surname. After his release
on parole in 1952, he worked to
develop the nation's ministry and expand
its membership. In 1958, Malcolm
married fellow NOI devotee Betty
Shabazz, with whom he would
have six children. Malcolm's rapid rise
in the organization mirrored the
electrifying appeal of his teachings
among African Americans. The wider public
caught a glimpse of his movement's
power one night in 1957, when Malcolm
organized hundreds of black Muslims
in Harlem to ensure the safety of
Hinton Johnson, a hospitalized victim
of police violence. Malcolm's vision of
black nationalism, which did not
rule out violence as a means
of overcoming white oppression,
was met with fear and skepticism from
mainstream white audiences and
quickly attracted the attention
of the FBI. Still, Malcolm's role
as a powerful voice in the Civil
Rights struggle continued to
build momentum. By the early '60s,
however, Malcolm had grown
disillusioned with the
Nation of Islam after learning
of Elijah Muhammad's
extramarital affairs. In 1963,
Malcolm publicly cut ties with
the organization. Shortly thereafter,
he traveled to Mecca in Cairo on a
cultural journey that reaffirmed
his faith and cultivated
his hope for a peaceful
resolution to the struggle for
racial equality. Still, Malcolm
X's return home was not easy. Death threats,
many from followers of Elijah
Muhammad, plagued him and his family. Eager to make a
lasting statement, Malcolm X
collaborated with writer
Alex Haley on an autobiography. Sadly, he
would never see the book's success. On February 21,
1965, before a speech in Manhattan's
Audubon Ballroom, Malcolm X was
shot to death by three members of
the Nation of Islam. While Malcolm's
journey was cut
tragically short, his words and
spirit continue to shed light on the
nature of inequality and the path
to peace. He remains one
of the most influential figures
in American history.