Malcolm X

Malcolm X. . Malcom Little (1925-1965) was an African-American Muslim minister and civil rights activist who spent his early years in Lansing and Mason, Michigan., His father was killed in Lansing and his mother later institutionalized, leaving Malcolm Little to grow up in foster homes. Although a good student, Malcolm dropped out of school when a teacher told him that because of his race, it was not a realistic goal for him to ever become a lawyer. In 1946, at age 20, he was sent to prison for larceny and breaking and entering., While in prison, Malcolm became a member of the Nation of Islam and changed his name to Malcolm X. He also taught himself to read while in prison. “I have often reflected upon the new vistas that reading opened to me. I knew right there in prison that reading had changed forever the course of my life. As I see it today, the ability to read awoke inside me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive.”, Malcolm X made many lifelong friends in Lansing. In 1958 he returned to marry Betty Shabazz of Detroit., Before being assassinated in New York City in 1965, Malcolm X was one of the most influential African American leaders in American history. His autobiography was named by Time magazine as one of the top 10 “must reads” for non-fiction books. James Baldwin adapted the book for the 1992 movie Malcolm X, directed by Spike Lee and starring Denzel Washington.