LEILA FADEL, HOST:
One hundred years ago today, Malcolm Little was born in Omaha, Nebraska. In his youth, he moved around a lot, and it was in Boston in his early 20s that he got into trouble and ended up in prison for burglary and theft. Behind bars, he spent his time reading and learning. Those readings included works on the history of Black enslavement and the teachings of Elijah Muhammad. Those teachings brought him to the Nation of Islam. He dropped his last name Little and became Malcolm X. Here he is explaining why.
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MALCOLM X: The last name of my forefathers...
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Yeah.
MALCOLM X: ...Was taken from them when they were brought to America and made slaves. And then the name of the slave master was given, which we refuse. We reject that name today.
FADEL: That's Malcolm X in 1963, from The Independent video archive. His charisma and sharp public speaking skills quickly made him one of the most prominent figures in the Nation of Islam. And as a spokesman at the time, he explained its policy against racial integration.
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MALCOLM X: I think it is - that it's disastrous for the Black people in America to reach the point where they - their race - racial pride disappears, and they don't want - they don't care whether their blood is mixed up with someone else's.
FADEL: That's from a civil rights debate broadcast on WBAI Radio in 1963.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The evolution of his thinking is a big part of the story here. Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam the following year - 1964 - turned to Orthodox Sunni Islam. On a pilgrimage to Mecca, he changed his stance on racial segregation after worshipping with Muslims from around the world. He did continue advocating for Black empowerment. Here he is in 1965 on CBC News.
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MALCOLM X: I do believe that the Black man in the United States, and any human being anywhere, is well within his right to do whatever is necessary, by any means necessary, to protect his life and property, especially in a country where the federal government itself has proven that it is either unable or unwilling to protect the lives and property of those human beings.
INSKEEP: By then, his enemies included former allies in the Nation of Islam. He said they were trying to kill him. And in 1965, men shot him many times at a ballroom in New York. Three members of the Nation of Islam were sentenced for that killing. His family contends that's not the whole story, and last year, three of his daughters sued the FBI, CIA and the New York Police Department.
FADEL: It was after his death that "The Autobiography Of Malcolm X" was published and has since sold millions of copies. Today streets, community centers and schools are named in his honor.
(SOUNDBITE OF CLARENCE "GATEMOUTH" BROWN SONG, "DEEP, DEEP WATER") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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