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The perception of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X is one where the two men are diametrically opposed figures in the battle against white supremacy (political insider vs. political renegade). The
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The perception of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X is one where the two men are diametrically opposed figures in the battle against white supremacy (political insider vs. political renegade). The truth is more nuanced. King and Malcolm X shared "convergent visions" for the betterment of Black America. However, their strategies to attain their shared goal were shaped by their disparate upbringings.
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The disagreement came to a head the following year in 1963 when it was revealed that Muhammed had been carrying on extra-marital affairs – a serious violation of the Nation of Islam’s strict teachings. Dismayed by Muhammed’s hypocrisy and realizing the Nation’s limitations due to its stringent doctrine, Malcolm X broke with the movement in 1964.
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After Malcolm X broke ties with the separatist Muslim movement, he began to speak more reverently of the viewpoints of Martin Luther King Jr. He publicly acknowledged, "Dr. King wants the same thing I want - freedom!"
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This new perspective prompted Malcolm X to arrange a meeting with King, but the meeting never happened. It was scheduled for Tuesday, February 24, 1965 but two days earlier Malcolm X was assassinated by Nation of Islam members. In a letter to Malcolm X’s wife following his assassination, King acknowledged their differing philosophies and approaches.
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The roles of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X intertwined in a captivating dance. However, after Malcolm X's assassination, a significant irony and transformation occurred: King assumed the role of Black America's prosecuting attorney.
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The visions of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King converged following Malcolm X's assassination. King experienced a "mountaintop moment" and realized that he needed to return to the valley. The Selma to Montgomery march became a crucial event, solidifying King's conviction.
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Despite the violent events of Bloody Sunday, where Alabama state troopers attacked nonviolent demonstrators on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, King remained resolute. President LBJ eventually acknowledged the protesters as American heroes, and the Selma to Montgomery demonstration attracted thousands, including allies like Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel.
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In his final nationally televised speech, delivered on March 25, 1965, King addressed American democracy, racial justice, and the challenges ahead. By August 6, 1965, the Voting Rights Act had passed, but just days later, the Watts uprising erupted in Los Angeles. Following the Watts uprising, King and Malcolm X's perspectives began to converge.
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While Malcolm X had criticized the March on Washington, King wrote an essay in 1965 expressing his intent to employ nonviolent civil disobedience as a peaceful means to paralyze cities and pursue justice beyond civil and voting rights acts.
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Resources
https://youtu.be/h4PqLKWuwyU
https://americanexperience.si.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Voices-of-a-Generation-Malcolm-X-and-Martin-Luther-King-Jr.pdf
https://www.livescience.com/martin-luther-king-jr-and-malcolm-x-similarities.html
https://www.npr.org/2020/08/12/901632573/black-power-scholar-illustrates-how-mlk-and-malcolm-x-influenced-each-other
https://www.npr.org/2023/05/15/1175833143/mlk-martin-luther-king-jr-malcolm-x-quote-biography
https://www.biography.com/activists/martin-luther-king-jr-malcolm-x-meeting
https://lbj.utexas.edu/black-power-scholar-illustrates-how-mlk-and-malcolm-x-influenced-each-other
https://www.openculture.com/2020/06/imagining-the-martin-luther-king-and-malcolm-x-debate-that-never-happened.html
https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/learning-from-malcolm-x.htm
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2019/02/20/691298594/the-power-of-martin-luther-king-jr-s-anger
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Books
Goldman, Peter Louis. The Death and Life of Malcolm X. 2nd ed. University of Illinois Press, 1979.
Joseph, Peniel. The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Basic Books, 2020.
Malcolm X with Haley, Alex. Autobiography of Malcolm X. 1965.
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@Deglassco
Again Professor, thank you for the education and the time you spend doing this work.