malcom x and martin luther kin

Like Douglass, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King realized that white people have committed injustices against blacks and as a result blacks do not have equal rights or opportunities and this has created problems in the black community. As a result of problems such as poverty, racial discrimination, political disenfranchisement, and lost hope in black communities, Malcolm X and King fought to steer blacks out of their problematic past.

Malcolm X and King no matter how American society depicts them are more than just figures of hate and love respectively. X and King by the end of their lives were fighting to achieve the same goals but in different routes with same objectives. At the start of Malcolm X’s journey as a self-educated black leader he talked a lot about hating white people, was a black Muslim with a nationalistic ideology, and spoke with violent rhetoric to intimidate white

Cone also utilizes oral history. Robert F. Kennedy states, “you have to understand this about Martin Luther King. If he loses his effort to keep Negroes nonviolent, the result could be disastrous…. If King loses, worse leaders are going to take his place. Look at the black Muslims.” This is an important quotation because it is from the president’s brother who sees X as a terrible leader compared to King. This also proves that people did not see the strength of Malcolm X as a leader or the role he played in achieving black rights. This also reveals that people saw Malcolm X and King as opposites.

Malcolm X and Martin Luther King analyzed the roles that different levels of class played, classism, in American society to improve blacks’ quality of life. Both men had different opinions in the beginnings of their lives as a result of where they came from, X having lived in northern ghettoes and King coming from a Southern middle class home. Malcolm X tended to talk about the divisions and the problems that class distinctions amongst middle class blacks and poor blacks as well as whites and blacks created. Malcolm X saw that this was a problem for blacks, mainly poor urban blacks in the north. In order to give blacks hope and economic power Malcolm X realized that something would have to be done. Malcolm X strived to give blacks their racial pride back by saying things like “don’t love your enemy love yourself.” Malcolm X realized earlier than King that a lot of black problems had to do with classism not only racism.

Malcolm X was more blatant in his denouncing of women. Malcolm believed that it was the man’s role to be strong and the woman’s to be weak, and for the man to get respect he had to control her. Malcolm called women “tricky, deceitful, and untrustworthy flesh.” However after Malcolm’s break with the Nation of Islam and trip to Mecca he realized that women play a crucial role in the progress of men. He recognized that his ideology of women was wrong and for black men to become educated and move ahead economically and socially women would have to do the same. Malcolm began to designate important roles to women within his organization, OAAU.

Carl T. Rowan, the director of the United States Information Agency, could not understand why Asian and African countries paid tribute to an “ex dope dealer” and “ex con.” Rowan represents the people who do not know about or recognize who Malcolm X truly was. While the Asian and African countries, who paid tribute agree with Cone that Malcolm X was worthy of praise and helped the black cause for equality. Citing Rowan, Asian, and African countries Cone uses oral history and historical analysis as his methodology.

Popular opinion is that Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were opposites and did not like each other. However, they were actually fond of each other. In their only meeting they smiled and talked briefly. Andrew Young in an interview with Bill Moyers remarked that King regarded Malcolm as a “tremendously intelligent and dedicated human being.” The two men were working towards the same goals as Cone explains in his book, but in different manners.

I agree with Cone’s thesis because in my public school I learned nothing about Malcolm X. I remember asking my teacher about Malcolm in the eighth grade; I was told that he was a “racist and a monger of hate.” King and X were the two largest driving forces behind the majority of the progress made in the Civil Rights Movement, however within the public school I realized that Malcolm X is not mentioned and that only Martin Luther King’s legacy of nonviolence is celebrated.

The media portrayed Malcolm X in a negative and incorrect manner because they only addressed one aspect of his life, his contempt for white people, when he is multifaceted. The newspapers after Malcolm X’s death described Malcolm X as “the spokesman of bitter racism” –Wash

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