The remarkable life and afterlife of Malcolm X

This month marks the 100th birthday of Malcolm X, the defiant, charismatic Black leader who electrified America with his blunt talk and biting humor. In his brief 39 years, Malcolm was many things: a street hustler who found religion in prison; a spokesman for the Nation of Islam who preached racial separatism; then, he became that rarest of leaders, one who admits a mistake. He began a new human rights movement that reached out to Whites of good faith.  O. Florian Jenkins, "Malcolm, A Lifestyle," panel six from "The Temple Murals: The Life of Malcolm X,"  June 15-October 15, 1972, acrylic on canvas. Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Commissioned by the Afro-American Society, Dartmouth College; P.972.231.6. © Rev. O. Florian Jenkins

Malcolm's most famous phrase – "By any means necessary" – was widely seen as a threat of violence. But to his admirers, it stood for self-defense, for asserting Black pride and culture, and telling it like he saw it in describing the advances of the civil rights era.

"I will never say that progress is being made," he said. "If you stick a knife in my back nine inches and pull it out six inches, there's no progress."