Malcolm X was an African American Muslim minister and civil rights activist in the 1960s. He advocated for black nationalism and fought against racism. He was a leader in the Nation of Islam from 1952 to 1964. In 1964, he went on pilgrimage to Mecca and began to advocate for pan-Africanism. He visited Africa several times and spoke in the UK and France in 1964-1965 advocating for racial justice and African independence. Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965 while giving a speech in New York. In the 1920s when he was born, racism was prevalent in the US and civil rights did not exist for black people.