He was born Malcolm Little in 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. Malcolm X never directly called for violent revolution, but he warned that African Americans would use 'any means necessary' – especially armed self defense – once they realized just how pervasive and hopelessly entrenched white racism had become. But in the spring of 1964, when Malcolm X gave his 'Ballot or the Bullet' speech, he was regarded by a majority of white Americans as a menacing character. Malcolm X is now popularly seen as one of the two great martyrs of the 20th century black freedom struggle, the other being his ostensible rival, the Rev. Malcolm X was assassinated at age 39, but his political and cultural influence grew far greater in the years after his death than when he was alive.

The blazing heat of Malcolm X's rhetoric sometimes overshadowed the complexity of his message, especially for those who found him threatening in the first place. He was an unrelenting truth-teller who declared that the mainstream civil rights movement was naïve in hoping to secure freedom through integration and nonviolence. Malcolm X was a polarizing figure who both energized and divided African Americans, while frightening and alienating many whites. He was an apostle of black nationalism, self respect, and uncompromising resistance to white oppression. Malcolm X was one of the most dynamic, dramatic and influential figures of the civil rights era.

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