Malcolm X

(1925 - 1965)

Born in Nebraska in 1925, the civil rights leader was raised by various family members and foster parents in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Massachusetts. He converted to Islam while in prison in the 1940s and 1950s, becoming the National Representative of the Nation of Islam after his release. Having severed his ties with the organization in 1963, Malcolm X was assassinated by three of its members while delivering a speech in Harlem on February 21, 1965.