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(1925-1965), black American leader, born in Omaha, Nebraska, as Malcolm Little. Malcolm's father, a Baptist minister, was an outspoken follower of Marcus Garvey, the black nationalist leader of the 1920s. The family moved to Lansing, Michigan, and when Malcolm wa ....

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.... joined a black Muslim temple in Detroit, and took the name . In 1958 he married Betty Shabazz, and they had six daughters. By the early 1960s, the Nation of Islam had become well known and Malcolm was their most prominent spokesperson. In 1963, however, the black Muslims silenced Malcolm for his remark that the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy was like "the chickens coming home to roost." In the following year, Malcolm broke with the Nation of Islam and formed a secular black nationalist group, the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU). In 1964 Malcolm made a hajj (pilgrimage) to the Islamic holy city of Mecca, Saudi Ara ....