Malcolm Little was born on the 19th of May 1925 in Omaha (Nebraska).
First in 1929 The Ku Klux Klan burnt down his family’s house. Then in 1931 his father was murdered and his mother was placed in a mental institution. Between 1939 and 1940 the young boy told a teacher that his goal was to one day became a lawyer, but the teacher recommended becoming a carpenter instead, as being a lawyer was not a realistic goal for a « nigger ». After he dropped out of school at fifteen years old and he moved to Boston. Then in 1941 Malcolm acquired various jobs such as shoe shining, dishwashing… And he was exposed to the criminal world. Two years later in 1943 he moved to New York, in Harlem. He started getting involved in criminal activities. But he was sentenced to eight or ten years in prison for armed robbery in 1946. Here Malcolm began reading as many books as possible and educating himself. Between 1947 and 1952 he converted to Islam. He became seriously studious. Then in 1952 the prisoner was released from prison. After that Malcolm Little changed his name to Malcolm X. He joined the Nation of Islam and became Assistant Minister of the Nation of Islam’s Detroit Temple. So he rejected both integration and racial equality, he called instead for black separatism, black pride… He advocated the use of violence for self protection and appeared to be a fanatic. However his leadership was rejected by most civil-rights leaders, who emphasized non-violent resistance to racial injustice. Six years later he married Betty Sanders on the 14th of January 1958. His wife was a nurse. Then in March 1964 he left the Nation of Islam and he announced the foundation of his own religious organization. After he made a pilgrimage to Mecca. As a result Malcolm modified his views of black separatism and he believed in a world of brotherhood. So on the 28th of June 1964 he formed the Organization of Afro-American Unity. Unfortunately his house was fire bombed on the 14th of February 1965. To