MalcolmX (; May19, 1925February21, 1965), born Malcolm Little and also known as el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz , was an American Muslim minister and a human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of blacks, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against black Americans; detractors accused him of preaching racism and violence. He has been called one of the greatest and most influential African Americans in history.