-
Birth
Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska -
New home burned to the ground
in 1929 their new home in Lansing, Michigan was burned to the ground. -
Earl little dies
Malcolms father Earl little's mutilated body was found lying across the town's trolley tracks. -
Louise Little goes crazy
Louise had an emotional breakdown several years after the death of her husband and was sent to a mental institution. Her children were split up sent to different foster homes and orphanages. -
Drop Out
malcolme graduated middle school at the top of his class but After a teacher of malcolm told him that his goal of becoming a lawyer was "no realistic goal for a nigger," he lost intrest in education and dropped out of school and moved to Boston, Massachusetts where he worked at various different jobs -
Petty Crimes
After Massachusetts Malcolm moved to Harlem, New York where he committed petty crimes -
Drug dealing
By 1942 Malcolm was coordinating narcotics, prostitution and gambling rings. -
Caught
In 1946 Malcolm and his friend Malcolm “shorty” jarvis moved back to Boston where they were arrested and convicted on burglary charges, and Malcolm was sentenced to 10 years in prison. (He was paroled after serving seven years.) -
Enlightenment
Malcolm Used the time to further his education.Durring this time Malcolms brother Reginald taught malcolm about the Nation of Islam (NOI) -
Elijah Muhammad
Malcolm studied the teachings of Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad. Muhammad taught that white society worked to keep African-Americans from educating and empowering themselves and achieving political, economic and social success -
Malcolm X
By the time he was paroled in 1952, Malcolm was a devoted follower of NOI with the new surname "X." He considered "Little" a slave name and chose the "X" to signify his lost tribal name and "X" making his name an unknown variable -
Spokesman
Because Malcolm was intelligent and articulate he was appointed a minister and national spokesman for the Nation of Islam -
Betty Shabazz
Malcolm married Betty Shabazz on January 14, 1958 -
Increace
Elijah Muhammad also charged him with establishing new mosques in cities such as Detroit, Michigan and Harlem, New York. Malcolm utilized newspaper columns, radio and television to communicate the Nation of Islam's message across the United States. increasing membership in the Nation of Islam from 500 in 1952 to 30,000 in 1963. -
Leaving
When Malcolm received criticism after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy for saying, "[Kennedy] never foresaw that the chickens would come home to roost so soon," Muhammad "silenced" him for 90 days. Malcolm suspected he was silenced for another reason. In March 1964 he terminated his relationship with the Nation of Islam and founded the Muslim Mosque, Inc. -
Renewed Faith
That same year, Malcolm went on a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The trip proved life altering, as Malcolm met "blonde-haired, blued-eyed men I could call my brothers." He returned to the United States with a new outlook on integration. This time, instead of just preaching to African-Americans, he had a message for all races. -
Attempted Assasination
Relations between Malcolm and the Nation of Islam had become volatile after he renounced Elijah Muhammad. Informants working in the Nation of Islam warned that Malcolm had been marked for assassination (one man had even been ordered to help plant a bomb in his car). After repeated attempts on his life, Malcolm rarely traveled anywhere without bodyguards. On February 14, 1965 the home where Malcolm, Betty and their four daughters lived in East Elmhurst, New York was firebombed (the family escaped -
Death
At a speaking engagement in the Manhattan's Audubon Ballroom on February 21, 1965 three gunmen rushed Malcolm onstage and shot him 15 times at close range at the age of 39 Malcolm X was pronounced dead on arrival at New York's Columbia Presbyterian Hospital
