Malcolm X (1925–1965), born Malcolm Little and later known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, was a prominent African American civil rights leader and human rights advocate. He rose to national attention as a spokesperson for the Nation of Islam, where he promoted Black empowerment, self-defense, and racial pride during a period of intense segregation and discrimination in the United States. After leaving the organization in 1964, he traveled on pilgrimage to Mecca, an experience that led him to adopt a broader view of racial unity and human rights. He founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity to continue advocating for justice and equality. Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965 in New York City at age 39. He is widely remembered as one of the most influential and powerful voices of the American civil rights era.