He was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. Malcolm�s father was a preacher and a follower of the Marcus Garvey Movement. One of Malcolm�s earliest memories is of a fire burning them out of their home. His father was killed in a so-called accident.

Malcolm�s mother withdrew and was placed in an institution. Before his mother was hospitalized, Malcolm had already started to get into trouble.

A petty thief and small-time criminal, Malcolm ended up in the penal system. It was there he became a member of the Nation of Islam. He became one of the foremost speakers of our time, speaking aganist racism, injustice and the White man. While the media interpreted his message as one of violence, many in the Black community saw it as righteous self-defense. After his assasination, it was said of him, "Malcolm was our manhood, our living, Black manhood!"