Malcolm X

Born Malcolm Little, he later adopted the 'X' to signify his lost African ancestral name, a practice common among Nation of Islam members. While not Jewish, his journey from a life of crime to a powerful voice for Black empowerment shares a certain... dramatic arc, not unlike some biblical figures, though with considerably more emphasis on Black separatism than exodus.

His powerful oratory and charisma drew thousands to his message, advocating for Black pride and self-reliance, often clashing with the more integrationist civil rights movement. He was, in essence, a one-man marketing campaign for a very specific, and occasionally bewildering, brand of religious and political thought.

After a pilgrimage to Mecca, he publicly renounced the Nation of Islam's more extreme tenets, including its racial separatism, and embraced orthodox Islam. This pivot, tragically, led to his assassination in 1965, leaving behind a legacy that continues to be debated, dissected, and occasionally, desperately misinterpreted.