Historical Organization
Little family
Little family
Details
Organization Timeline
The Little family home is destroyed by fire
📅 7 November 1928The Little family's Lansing home burned down after they moved into a white neighborhood where restrictive covenants sought to exclude Black residents. Malcolm later believed white supremacists were...
Earl Little dies after being found on streetcar tracks
📅 28 September 1931Earl Little died after being found on Lansing streetcar tracks. Authorities treated the death as an accident; Malcolm later maintained that white supremacists had murdered his father. The cause...
Louise Little is committed to a state hospital
📅 23 December 1938Louise Little was diagnosed as mentally ill and placed in Kalamazoo State Hospital, where she remained for decades. Her children were separated among foster placements and institutions. The record...
Malcolm writes to his sister Ella from Concord
📅 28 March 1948In a letter to Ella Little Collins, Malcolm reflected on prison life and asked about family and baseball. Such correspondence counters portrayals of his prison years as a solitary moral awakening. His...
Malcolm travels to Detroit after his release
📅 8 August 1952The day after his parole, Malcolm traveled to Detroit and joined his brother Wilfred. Family connections helped make the transition out of prison possible. He soon entered Nation of Islam...
Malcolm and his family spend a week with Cassius Clay in Miami
📅 15 January 1964Malcolm and Betty Shabazz and their children stayed with heavyweight boxer Cassius Clay at his Miami training camp while Malcolm was suspended from the Nation of Islam. The visit shows how personal...
Malcolm is buried after a public funeral in Harlem
📅 27 February 1965Malcolm's funeral was held in Harlem, with actor and activist Ossie Davis delivering the eulogy; he was buried at Ferncliff Cemetery. The public mourning made clear that his influence reached far...