Malcolm X

Malcolm X was a transformative figure during the Black Power Movement of the 1960s. Born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, Malcolm X converted to Islam while serving a prison term for robbery.  After being paroled in 1952, X went on to become the most recognizable advocate for the Nation of Islam, a racially divisive sect of Islam that promoted Black self-determination. He broke from the NOI in 1964 after a rift with leader Elijah Muhammad. He later founded the more inclusive Organization of African Unity. He was assassinated in 1965, shot at close range while he prepared to address the OAU at Harlem's Audubon Ballroom.