Malcolm Little was born on May 19, 1925 in Omaha to a West Indian mother, and a Baptist minister father. He lived in many northern cities, until he was put in jail in February 1946. He began his self education program a year later. After talking to his brother, he joined the Nation of Islam in April of 1948. After he was released from jail, he met the leader of the Nation of Islam, and fully devoted his time to building the nation. Malcolm X changed his name to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz after traveling to the Middle East where be began to adopt Islamic practices in 1959. He broke with the Nation Of Islam in March of 1964. It is believed that Elijah Muhammad had Malcolm X murdered by Louis Farrakhan. Malcolm X was a high profile political figure.
