Malcolm X

On the 50th anniversary of Malcolm X's assassination, commentator Gwen Thompkins wants his skill as a public speaker and debater to be remembered as a key part of his legacy.

Yuri Kochiyama and her family were rounded up by the American government and forced to live behind barbed wire during World War II. Her brief friendship with Malcolm X inspired her activism.

Marable's life work, published just days after his death, casts Malcolm X's legacy in a new light. Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention explores the Muslim leader's personal relationships and encourages a re-examination of his assassination.

Forty years ago, legendary activist Malcolm X was murdered. He was giving a speech Feb. 21, 1965 in the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan when he was gunned down. We hear an excerpt of a speech he gave in 1964 and a commentary from Murad Kalam who says that Malcolm X is missed today by American Muslims, who have no contemporary leader like him.

In a prison interview, the grandson of Malcolm X speaks about his own ambitions. Malcolm Shabazz, who is serving time for attempted armed robbery, also discusses the death of his grandmother in a fire he caused when he was 12. Hear NPR's Juan Williams' extended interview with Shabazz.

NPR's Margot Adler was in Harlem today to witness a deal resolving a longstanding controversy over what should be done with the papers of the civil rights and religious leader Malcolm X. The six Shabazz daughters agree to deposit the documents, photos and audiotapes with the Schomberg Center and the New York Public Library for 75 years. The family will retain intellectual and property rights, yet the public will have access to the archived materials.