Malcolm X
Born Malcolm Little, Malcolm X became a public speaker, an African-American Muslim minister, and a civil rights activist, after he experienced an awakening in jail. He changed his last name to the variable "X", believing that his true name was lost when his ancestors were forced into slavery. Although Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. were both civil rights activists their methods were different. Martin Luther King, Jr. used peaceful methods while Malcolm X delivered a message that whites could never be trusted. In 1963, he split from the Nation of Islam, and the following year went on a pilgrimage to Mecca. On his return, he came back with softer methods and even met up with MLK. |  |
Above: Malcom X pictured with Martin Luther King, Jr.
