ABSTRACT
Malcolm X, one of the most complex and enigmatic African-American leaders ever, was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska. Since his death in 1965, Malcolm's life has increasingly acquired mythic stature. Along with Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm is a member of the pantheon of twentieth-century black saints. Unlike King, however, Malcolm's heroic rise was both aided and complicated by his championing of black nationalism and his advocacy of black self-defense against white racist violence.
