Malcolm X: A Search for Identity
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Synopsis by John Patrick Sheehan
Part of the Biography television series from A&E, this documentary reviews the career and personal life of civil rights leader Malcolm X. Born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, Malcolm was the son of a Baptist preacher who was a follower of Marcus Garvey. Malcolm's father was slain by the Klan-like Black Legionaries. After the eighth grade, Malcolm dropped out of school, headed for a life of crime. He became a proponent of a sect of Islam, popularly known as the Black Muslims. In June 1964, he founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity and moved increasingly in the direction of socialism. More sophisticated than in his Black Muslim days and of growing moral stature, he was assassinated by a Black Muslim at a rally of his organization in New York on February 21, 1965.