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N0KFQ > TODAY 21.02.08 09:01l 62 Lines 3090 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: Today in History - Feb 21
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To : TODAY@ALLUS
February 21, 1965
Malcolm X is assassinated
Malcolm X is killed while giving a speech at the Audubon Ballroom
in New York City. Malcolm X had split from the Nation of Islam
almost a year before and had escaped several other attempts on
his life in the subsequent months. Reportedly, he was going to
publicly reveal the names of the assassins who had been sent to
kill him, but was killed at the Audubon Ballroom before he had
the opportunity. Three Black Muslim men were later convicted of
the crime, though their guilt has long been in doubt; others
believe that they were indeed guilty but were not the only
perpetrators.
The break between Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam had its roots
in a wide range of matters. Ironically, Malcolm X had been
suspended from the group for stating that the murder of President
Kennedy was a case of "chickens coming home to roost." However,
the rift was probably due more to the fact that the dynamic and
charismatic Malcolm X was challenging the leadership of Elijah
Muhammad and that his fame threatened the Nation of Islam
leaders. When he officially broke from the group, they worried
that he would draw away most of their supporters.
Malcolm X, constantly aware that his life was in danger, may have
had particular worries on February 21. He called his wife, Betty
Shabazz, and had her bring their children to the Audubon Ballroom
where he was giving a speech later in the day. This was not his
usual practice, so some have since speculated that he may have
wanted to see his family a final time. After he was introduced,
but before he could address his supporters, the three gunmen in
the audience fired several shots at Malcolm X. One of the men,
Talmadge Hayer (aka Thomas Hagan), was shot in the leg by one of
Malcolm X's bodyguards and caught by the crowd. The other two,
Norman 3X Butler and Thomas 15X Johnson, were caught later,
though both aides and bodyguards swear that the two men were not
in the ballroom that day. Malcolm X died instantly.
Malcolm X's body was put on display at a funeral home in Harlem
the following day and it is estimated that 30,000 people came to
view it. Actor Ossie Davis delivered the eulogy at the funeral.
In the meantime, his supporters vowed revenge against Elijah
Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. Meanwhile, Elijah Muhammad's
rhetoric against Malcolm X continued, blaming the civil rights
leader for his own death.
The feud between the factions continues to this day. In 1995, one
of Malcolm X's daughters, Qubilah Shabazz, was prosecuted for
attempting to hire a killer to murder Louis Farrakhan of the
Nation of Islam for his alleged involvement in the assassination.
While Farrakhan was certainly part of the climate that caused
Malcolm X's death--he wrote many articles violently denouncing
him after the split--it is highly unlikely that he ever had any
contact with the assassins. As New York police department records
have since disappeared, it may never be known who was responsible
for Malcolm X's death, or why he was murdered.
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