Malcolm X once said, “If you’re not ready to die for it, put the word ‘freedom’ out of your vocabulary” (“Quotes”). Malcolm’s quote exemplified his fight for African American rights. He was truly willingly to die for African American lives, and unfortunately fighting for his cause resulted in his untimely death. Unlike Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X was a very controversial figure in the Civil Rights movement. His actions and pursuits were violent and challenged the mainstream Civil Rights movements of the time (“Malcolm X” history.com).
Malcolm was born as Malcolm Little on May 19th, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska. Malcolm Little had an extremely unfortunate and rough childhood. Six years after Malcolm’s birth, Earl Little, Malcolm’s father,…show more content… 1965. Malcolm, while living, predicted he would not have much time to live, but would “be more important in death than in life.” His foreshadowing of his eventual assassination is found in his autobiography. Of the four men involved in the assassination of Malcolm, only one was ever identified. Talmadge Hayer described how he along with the other three conspirators visited the ballroom on the evening before the assassination and planed out their strategy. The plan was to sit in the front of the auditorium while one drew the attention of Malcolm’s bodyguards, at which point Talmafge and two others would stand at shoot at Malcolm X. As Malcolm delivered his speech on March 21st, the plan by the conspirators was put in place. Malcolm X suffered fifteen total wounds from three different weapons. Malcolm’s supporters launched a counter attack on the assassins. Three of them escaped, but Talmadge Hayer was not as lucky (“Biography”). Fifteen hundred people attended Malcolm X’s funeral in Harlem New York on February 27th, 1965. It is unknown for sure who the other assassins were. Some believe it was Norman Butler and Thomas Johnson of the Nation of Islam, while Talmadge testified his co-conspirators were Leon David and Wilbur McKinley. Despite the testimony by Hayer, Butler, Johnson and Hayer were all convicted of the murder of Malcolm X and received life sentences in March of 1966 (“Malcolm X”
Foundation). She was featured in documentaries on civil rights, in movies produced by Tyler Perry where she always spoke about black heritage, and in interviews on the Oprah Show. Angelou wrote numerous collections of essays and poems.