(Malcolm Little; 1925-65), black militant leader. The son of a Baptist minister who followed the teachings of Marcus Garvey, he converted to Islam in 1952 while imprisoned for burglary and adopted the name Malcolm X, the X being symbolic of the slaves' stolen identity. He became a Muslim minister and spent a decade as a charismatic speaker on behalf of black separatism and black nationalism and pride. In 1963 Malcolm broke with the more militant wing of the movement and softened his black separatist views, forming a rival group, the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU). In 1965 while giving a speech at Harlem's Audubon Ballroom, he was assassinated, allegedly by Black Muslims. His book The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965), written in collaboration with
Alex Haley, became a classic.
