Malcolm X was and is considered an important part of the Civil Rights Movement. During his lifetime, he was a minister, a Black Nationalist leader, a human rights activist, and a spokesman for the nations of Islam. He was considered most famous for his views on how people should protest; more specifically, how to protest for their civil rights.
Malcolm experienced a rough childhood due to racism. Malcolm was the fourth of eight children born to his mother Louise and father Earl Little. Earl was an active member of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) and a supporter of the Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. Due to his father's civil rights activism, Malcolm's family was frequently harassed by white supremacist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). This
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The suit was successful, and he was forced to vacate his home in New York. Upon his return from his pilgrimage, he and his family were firebombed in their house while they were asleep. Malcolm believed this attack was also from the Nation of Islam.
Eleven days later, Malcolm was at the Audubon Ballroom where he was speaking at a meeting for the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU). A disturbance broke out suddenly within a crowd of around 400. A man shouted some derogatory terms and charged the stage to shoot Malcolm in the chest using a sawed-off shotgun. Two other men ran up on stage and fired handguns which hit Malcolm an estimated 16 times. The angry onlookers caught one of the assassins and beat them near to death.
After Malcolm's death, many news outlets ignored his spiritual revelation. Instead, they criticized him for his violent instigation. This soon changed when his autobiography was released. After this was published, people remembered him for his tenacious attitude and how he would do anything to get what he believed in. This is why Malcolm X is an important American figure within the Civil Rights