Person

Malcolm X

May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965

Related Excerpts

Malcolm X

What Made Malcolm X Dangerous

He challenged the violence of US power, abroad and at home. His radical internationalism, from Congo to Palestine, speaks to our moment.
Malcolm X holding his daughter Qubilah.

Malcolm X the Girl Dad Was Hidden in Plain Sight

On the other side of the hardened activist was a man who stirred his coffee with his daughter's finger and told her it made it sweet.
Mugshot (side profile, left, and front-facing, right) of Malcolm Little (Malcolm X).

A New Discovery Sheds Light on Malcolm X’s Journey to Islam

The civil rights leader’s lone poem, written from prison, reveals his love of language — and his quest for truth.
Malcolm X arrives in New York City in 1964 after a tour of the Middle East.

Malcolm X and the Difficulties of Diplomacy

In 1964, he toured Africa and the Middle East on a journey that would both transform his outlook and reveal the limits of transnational solidarity.
Aftermath of a riot in Washington, D.C., following Martin Luther King, Jr.'s funeral in 1968. Photography by Warren K. Leffler, via the Library of Congress.

After the Murder

Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination was the fateful moment that the wave of hope finally broke for Black America.
Man holding a poster of Malcolm X, African American Day Parade, 2010 in Harlem.

Malcolm X’s Gospel

A look into how Malcolm X employed gospel rhetoric to critique the mainstream civil rights movement for catering to white Christianity.
Muhammad A. Aziz leaving a courtroom after being officially exonerated
partner

Exonerating Two Men Convicted of Malcolm X’s Killing Doesn’t Vindicate the System

Can a system built on racial violence actually deliver justice?
John Coltrane writing on a piece of paper, with a saxophone in his lap.

How Malcolm X Inspired John Coltrane to Embrace Islamic Spirituality

Reflections on "A Love Supreme," artistic transformation, and the Black Arts Movement.
Malcolm X

A Malcolm For Our Times

"The Dead are Arising" may be the best Malcolm X biography yet. But its author seems unsure of how to write about a religion outside the American mainstream.
Martin Luther King Jr.

What Dignity Demands

A new book persuasively places Malcolm X and Martin Luther King at the center of each other’s most dramatic transformations.
Artistic photo of Malcolm X

Malcolm’s Ministry

At the end of his remarkable, improbable life, Malcolm X was on the cusp of a reinvention that might have been even more significant than his conversion.
Malcolm X

The Day Malcolm X Was Killed

At the height of his powers, the Black Nationalist leader was assassinated, and the government botched the investigation of his murder.
Malcom X holding up a crime scene photo of Ronald Stokes's murder.

The Death That Galvanized Malcolm X Against Police Brutality

Decades before protests against mass incarceration galvanized the black freedom struggle, Malcolm indicted the entire justice system as racist.
Malcolm X

Reflections on Malcom X

What we can learn from him and his legacy.
Malcolm X

The Explosive Chapter Left Out of Malcolm X’s Autobiography

Its title, 'The Negro', seemed innocuous enough. But Malcolm X intended it to invoke a much harsher meaning.
Malcolm X.

The Missing Malcolm X

Our understanding of Malcolm X is inextricably linked to his autobiography, but newly discovered materials force us to reexamine his legacy.

How Malcolm X Became a Serious Threat to the U.S. After His Africa Visit

The influential activist was a strong proponent of Pan-Africanism.

When Malcolm X Met Fidel Castro

The history behind the photographs on Colin Kaepernick’s T-shirt.
Malcolm X

The Legacy of Malcolm X

Malcolm X died fifty-one years ago today, just as he was moving toward revolutionary ideas that challenged oppression in all its forms.
Malcolm X

When Malcolm X Met Robert Penn Warren

An excerpt from a discussion between Malcolm X and Robert Penn Warren on guilt and innocence.