In prison, he joined the nation of islam, adopting the name malcolm x to symbolize his unknown african ancestral surname while discarding the white slavemaster name of 'little ' , and after his parole in 1952, he quickly became one of the organization's most influential leaders. He was a muslim, african american human rights activist who was a strong advocate for black empowerment and black nationalism. Malcolm x (born may 19, 1925, omaha, nebraska, u.s.—died february 21, 1965, new york, new york) was an african american leader and prominent figure in the nation of islam who articulated concepts of race pride and black nationalism in the early 1960s.
Despite being one of the world’s most recognizable activists, malcolm x was a figure in a constant state of social, intellectual, and spiritual evolution and change Malcolm x was born malcolm. One way that change can be seen is how he identified himself throughout his lifetime.
Malcolm rejects the surname little as a slave name given to his family by white oppressors, and he becomes known as malcolm x. dismayed that the nation of islam is not attracting more. After malcolm x’s assassination in 1965, his bestselling book, the autobiography of malcolm x, popularized his ideas and inspired the black power movement
