Martin vs Malcolm

A Dream by Any Means

I Have a Dream by Any Means Necessary

Different Approaches for Equality: Martin and Malcolm

R. Leigh Baker

Pierce College

Philosophy 230: Contemporary Moral Problems

Dr. Bennie C. Thompson

9 March 2009

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Abstract

The 1960’s was a turbulent time for people of color; this was a time of racial oppression, brutality, and struggles for civil rights. Out of these events, arose a need to voice their wrongs, the corrections of the errors in society, and for justice and equality to prevail. Two men emerged from different backgrounds to accomplish this task, and Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X became the voices of the civil rights movement. These men used the different events in their formidable years to shape their different philosophies. On the one hand one-man, used graciousness, calm and nonviolent organization to increase the upward mobility of the people, “We shall overcome”, became a prominent theme in his messages, and he conveyed them to the masses with peaceful determination. The other sought to accomplish this task “By any means necessary”, and sought to increase empowerment under any circumstances. Many of his themes focused on revolutions, separatism, and a disparaging anger towards white America that was at times difficult to distinguish from hate. Both of these men, leaders in their own right, spread their respective views thru passionate speeches and writings that contained messages of equality, self-awareness, and hope to the Negro race. Two enormously gifted men, who were willing to sacrifice all to accomplish their dreams, by any means necessary, to advance American Blacks toward the direction of equality.

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Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. were two of the most recognized and

influential leaders of the civil rights movement. They both fought for the cause of

Black America, and they gave hope to their people in their times of struggle. The

two had identical dreams of equality for their people, but the methods used to make

these dreams a reality were as different as the paths that brought these men to their

goals. Both men’s childhoods were largely responsible for the different deliveries

of their respective messages, as their backgrounds provided each with different

experiences. Nonetheless, both men were passionate about their causes, and used

mesmerizing speeches to stir the masses.

Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925 in Omaha Nebraska,

to Louise Norton Little, and Earl Little, a politically active Baptist preacher who

was largely engrossed with the teachings of Marcus Garvey (X & Haley, The

Autobiography of Malcolm X, 1965). Earl's activism caused him to be the target

of white supremacy groups, so to protect his family he moved them to Lansing,

Michigan when Malcolm was around four. Moving his family proved to be no

better protection and in 1929, two years after the family home burned to the

ground, they found Malcolm’s father, Earl, lying dead across railroad tracks. The

cause of death was ruled to be an accident, as was the burning, but members of the

Little family believed that they were both carried out by the supremacy group they

moved to escape.

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Raising eight children during the depression, after her husband's death proved to be

too much, and Louise eventually suffered a nervous breakdown, resulting in her

being institutionalized, as well as the placement of her children, including Malcolm

in various foster homes.

Growing up, Malcolm was a smart, determined student. He graduated at the

top of his class from junior high. Sadly, when a teacher told Malcolm his dream of

becoming a lawyer was "no realistic goal for a nigger," Malcolm lost interest in

school (X & Haley, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, 1965). He dropped out,

spent some time in Boston, Massachusetts, where he worked odd jobs, and then

traveled to Harlem, New York where he committed petty crimes. During his early

adulthood, Malcolm's criminal activity and drug use gave rise to negative attitudes

toward authority, and tore away his self-respect. By 1942, Malcolm operated

various narcotics, prostitution and gambling rings. In 1946, Malcolm and his

friend, Malcolm “Shorty” Jarvis, moved back to Boston, where they subsequently

became arrested and later convicted on burglary charges. They sentenced Malcolm

to ten years in prison for this crime (he became eligible for parole after serving

seven years).

Being that he had a love for learning, he used the time to further his

education. While in prison, Malcolm's Brother Reginald, who belonged to the

religious organization the Nation of Islam (NOI), would visit Malcolm, and discuss

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his recent conversion to the Muslim religion. Malcolm began to study the teachings

of NOI leader Elijah Muhammad. Muhammad taught that white society actively

worked to keep African-Americans from empowering themselves and achieving

political, economic, and social success. Among other goals, the NOI fought for a

state of their own, one separate from the one inhabited by white people. By the

time of his parole in 1952, Malcolm was a devoted follower and changed his

surname to “X." He did this because he considered "Little" a slave name and chose

the "X" to signify his lost tribal name (X & Haley, The Autobiography of Malcolm

X, 1965).

In an entirely different scenario, born Michael King, Jr., in Atlanta, Georgia,

on January 15, 1929, Martin Luther King, Jr. was the first son, and grandson of

Baptist ministers. The King pastoral lineage exemplified the African-American

social gospel tradition that would foster his career as a reformer. Love, self-worth,

and respect were highly valued personal attributes in the King household, and these

tools aided King in his decision to live a life engaged in social protest, making sure

all blacks enjoyed the same opportunities he did along with White Americans.

Martin Luther King, Jr. and his siblings were born into a financially secure middle-

class family, and thus they were better educated than the average child of the

Negro race was. He was a smart student and skipped two complete grades before

attending college at the age of 15.

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King grew up in a family that encouraged him to notice and respond to

social injustices, which he encountered very early. These instances are what

prompted his mother to explain the history of slavery and segregation while he

attended grade school. White playmates of his were to attend a different

elementary school from his, and, once the year began, their parents no longer

permitted King to come over and play. While he was in high school, King took

second prize in an oratory contest. His victory soured, however, by the long bus

ride back to Atlanta; he was on a segregated bus, and the black people had to stand

so that the white passengers could sit. After High School, Martin furthered his

education, by attending Morehouse College, Crozer Theological Seminary, and

Boston University (Martin Luther King, 1998). He also began to study and adopt

Mahatma Gandhi's nonviolent strategies for social change, while completing his

Ph. D. in systematic theology in 1955.

After graduating, King opted to become pastor of Montgomery, AL's Dexter

Avenue Baptist Church, and on December 5, 1955 he was named president of the

new Montgomery Improvement Association (Martin Luther King, 1998) setting his

public career into motion. After king rose to national renown, he spearheaded the

local African-American community’s boycott of the bus system, even after the

firebombing of his home and conviction on charges of conspiracy against the bus

company. In 1957, King joined with other African-American religious leaders to

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found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (Martin Luther King, 1998).

As the 1960s dawned, he was widely regarded as black America's

preeminent representative, although his policies of nonviolence were often in

conflict with younger, more militant factions of the civil rights movement.

However, internal divisions within the black community threatened to undermine

his leadership, as emerging voices like Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael offered

a stark counterpoint to King's peaceful methods.

In this period both Malcolm X and MLK would voice their opinions on race

and equality. The teachings of Elijah Muhammed and the scars of his childhood

were deeply rooted in Malcolm's message as anger, rebellion, and negativity. He

began to express nationalist and separatist philosophies, and felt that the methods

of nonviolence and integration were tricks by white people to keep blacks in their

place. Malcolm did not intend to integrate with the so-called "white-devils". In

November of 1961, Malcolm engaged in a debate at Rutgers University, against

Professor William Neal Brown. The topic of the debate was “Integration or

Separation”, in which Malcolm had a passionate message:

And since no sane white man really wants integration, and no sane black man really believes we will ever get anything more than token integration, the only immediate solution is complete separation. Therefore, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad is demanding that several states be set aside for the twenty million ex-slaves, and with the help of Allah, he will show our people how to solve our own problems. We won’t be forcing ourselves into white communities, into white schools, and into white factories. We will set up and run our own. I thank you (Hand, 2007-2008).

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He also believed that Blacks should arm themselves, and that the non-violent

methods practiced by Dr. King were short sighted, dangerous, and often deadly,

especially to those who allowed the police to beat them down in the streets during

their nonviolent demonstrations. Malcolm believed there was only one way to

achieve the equality that blacks deserved as it showed in his Message to Grass

Roots:

You do not have a turn-the-other-cheek revolution. There is no such thing as a nonviolent revolution. [The] only kind of revolution that is nonviolent is the Negro revolution. The only revolution based on loving your enemy is the Negro revolution. The only revolution in which the goal is a desegregated lunch counter, a desegregated theater, a desegregated park, and a desegregated public toilet; you can sit down next to white folks on the toilet. That's no revolution.” “A revolution is bloody. Revolution is hostile. Revolution knows no compromise. Revolution overturns and destroys everything that gets in its way. And you, sitting around here like a knot on the wall, saying, "I'm going to love these folks no matter how much they hate me." No, you need a revolution. Whoever heard of a revolution where they lock arms, as Reverend Cleage was pointing out beautifully, singing "We Shall Overcome"? Just tell me. You do not do that in a revolution. You do not do any singing; you are too busy swinging (X, Malcolm X Speaks: Selected speeches and statements, 1994).

Too many, Malcolm was seen as an “Extremist, Nationalist, and separatist”,

whereas Martin was viewed as calm, and idealistic. He preached about equality for

blacks, a goal pursued thru nonviolence. “King urged blacks to win their rightful

place in society by gaining self respect, high moral standards, hard work and

leadership. He also urged blacks to do this in a nonviolent manner (Dyson, 1993).

King urged all members of the black community to earn their rightful place in

American Society. He always appeared positive, rational, and idealistic while

preaching his views on integration.

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He especially wanted to teach impressionable black youth that you could achieve

equality through nonviolent methods.

These ideals are reflective in the famous “I have a dream” speech, where

King addressed over 250,000 people. In this speech, King urged black people

never to forget their dreams, he reminded, that in the eyes of God, Blacks were as

good as any other race and were to be treated as equals:

I have a dream that one day every valley will be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places shall be made plain, and the crooked places shall be made straight, and the glory of the lord shall be revealed, and all shall see it together (American History Series, 1997).

Unlike Malcolm X, King did not rely on his listeners to riot and hate, but

encouraged them to remember that all people are God’s children. King envisioned

that one day all Americans would be able to join one another and sing “My country

'tis of thee, Sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing”, without regard to race, color, or

creed.

By this time, Martin had become increasingly aware of Malcolm's popularity

among politically active black people. Given his convictions of nonviolent

methods, King had a difficult time understanding why some African Americans

were attracted to Black Nationalism. On Malcolm, King spoke: Malcolm is clearly

a product of the hate and violence invested in the Negro's blighted existence in this

nation” (Martin Luther King, 1998).

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He felt that even though Malcolm was “articulate” and had some of the answers, he

strongly disagreed with Malcolm's militancy, which he thought was far less useful.

While reflecting on their differences he said:

I have often wished he would talk less of violence, because violence is not going to solve our problems. And in his litany of articulating the despair of the Negro without offering any positive alternative, Malcolm has done himself and our people a great disservice. Fiery demagogic oratory in the black ghettos, urging Negroes to army themselves and engage in violence, as he has done, can reap nothing but grief (Carson, 2005).

Ironically as the two men neared the end of their lives, King and X's beliefs

became more similar. After his trip to Mecca, X began to denounce his earlier

messages, and he distanced himself from the NOI. His beliefs and messages

changed to emphasize racial unity and change thru black pride and self-respect,

rather than revenge and hate. The tone of his speeches also changed while he

preached about brotherhood:

I say again that I am not a racist, I do not believe in any form of segregation or anything like that. I am for the brotherhood of everybody, but I do not believe in forcing brotherhood upon people who don't want it. Long as we practice brotherhood among ourselves, and then others who want to practice brotherhood with us, we practice it with them also, we're for that. But I don't think that we should run around trying to love somebody who doesn't love us (X, After the bombing/Speech at Ford Auditorium, 1965).

He also wanted to focus his attention on an allegiance with grass roots and SNCC

activist and attempting to repair the damage caused by his earlier messages against

Martin and other civil rights leaders.

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Martin became angry at the progress the black community made with

equality, so he implored the tactic of nonviolent sabotage, which included blocking

the normal function of the government. His discomfort is evident in his “A time to

break the silence” speech, in which he openly condemns American participation in

the Vietnam War. He moralized that America should solve its own racial and social

problems before sending vulnerable young men, especially black men, to fight

other country’s battles:

So we have been respectfully forced with the cruel irony of watching Negroes and white boys on TV screens as they kill and die together for a nation that has been unable to sit them together in the same schools, (American History Series, 1997).

Tragically, before Martin could join forces with Malcolm, who had altered

his beliefs so that the two leaders could find a “common solution to a common

problem”, Malcolm X would be assassinated on February 21, 1965. Martin

regretted that Malcolm did not have the chance to expand upon his growing

political interest to benefit the plight of the Negro. He was also deeply touched

over the death of Malcolm, Martin wrote a letter to Sister Betty Shabbazz,

Malcolm’s widow, in which he reflected on Malcolm’s presence in the fight for

justice:

While we did not always see eye to eye on our methods to solve the race problem, I have always had a deep affection for Malcolm and felt that he had a great ability to put his finger on the existence and root of the problem (Carson, 2005).

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Martin Luther King, Jr did not live long enough himself, to see the result of

both men’s vision. In a twist of irony, King would meet his death on April 1968

also by an Assassin’s bullet. The man, who preached nonviolence and passive

restraint, would die in direct contrast to how his life was lived.

Both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King are leaders who fought for a

difference in black America. By using different approaches to promote equality,

each wanted to bring hope to blacks while instilling in them the power and strength

needed to overcome the hatred that surrounded them. If there had to be a Martin

Luther King Jr. there also needed to be a Malcolm X, because no one method could

accomplish the massive goals of the civil rights movement. Each man in his own

way dominated the times in which he lived. One man believed in approaching the

status quo in a peaceful and nonviolent manner and the other believed in achieving

equality “By any means necessary”. Even though their philosophies differed by

ways of achieving equality and respect from a society in which they had no choice

but to live, both men were willing to die for what they believed in.

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References

American History Series. (1997). African Americans: Opposing Viewpoints. (W.

Dudley, Ed.) San Diego, CA, United States of America: Greenhaven Press,

Inc.

Carson, C. (2005, January). The Unfinished Dialogue of Martin Luther King, Jr

and Malcolm X. OAH Magazine of History , pp. 22-26.

Dyson, M. E. (1993). Reflecting Black: African-American Cultural Critcism

(American Culture, Vol 9). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

Hand, P. (2007-2008). The Great Debaters. Columbia University Alumni Magazine.

Martin Luther King, J. (1998). The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. (C.

Carson, Ed.) New York: IPM/Warner.

X, M. (1965, Feburary 14). After the bombing/Speech at Ford Auditorium.

Retrieved Feburary 19, 2009, from Malcolm-X.org: http://www.malcolm-

x.org/speeches/spc_021465.htm

X, M. (1994). Malcolm X Speaks: Selected speeches and statements. (G. Breitman,

Ed.) New York, New York, United States of America: Grove Press.

X, M., & Haley, A. (1965). The Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York, NY,

United States of American: Ballantine Books.

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Documents

Martin vs Malcolm