We have been reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X for a little over a week now. It's quite clear that his views and ideals are a far cry from those of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. These two leaders' views have been compared and contrasted over the years. King promoted non-violence, while Malcolm promoted a violent revolution... or at least that's what's been said. I won't go into that.
Instead, I decided to find out how these men came to such conflicting views. The answer was their respective pasts.
Martin Luther King, Jr.:
- Born in Atlanta, Georgia
- 2nd of three children
- Attended Booker T. Washington High School while growing up in Atlanta
- Skeptical of Christianity at first, doubting the bodily resurrection of Jesus.
- Later said that the Bible has "many profound truths which one cannot escape" and decided to enter the seminary.
- A precocious student, skipping both the ninth and twelfth grades
- Entered Morehouse College at age fifteen, didn't formally graduate from high school
- Graduated with a B.A. in sociology four years later
- Attended Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania
- Graduated three years later, in 1951, with a Bachelor of Divinity degree
- Married Coretta Scott in 1953 and had four children
- Became pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in 1954 and began doctoral studies in systematic theology
- Received his Ph.D the next year
Sounds like a highly accomplished African-American man, especially at this time. He didn't partake in any illegal activities and was highly intelligent. How does this compare to Malcolm X? Well, let's see here...
Malcolm X:
- Born in Omaha, Nebraska
- 4th of seven children
- Family threatened by Ku Klux Klan, relocated to Milwaukee, then Lansing in 1926
- Family frequently harassed in Lansing by Black Legion
- House burned down in 1929, father (Earl Little) accused Black Legion
- Earl killed by streetcar, police say he "slipped" onto the tracks
- Life insurance benefit substantially decreased to $18 a month, another issuer refused to pay and claimed suicide
- Mother (Louise Little) becomes pregnant again, committed to Kalamazoo State Hospital after nervous breakdown
- Children separated and sent to various foster homes
- Dropped out of high school after being told that practicing law was "no realistic goal for a n****r"
- Went to live with his half-sister in Roxbury at age 15
- Moved to Harlem in 1943
- Engaged in drug dealing, gambling, racketeering, robbery, and pimping
- Declared "mentally disqualified for military service"
- Returned to Boston in 1945 and embarked on a series of robberies targeting wealthy white families
- Arrested in 1946 while picking up a stolen watch from a jewelry repair shop
- Convicted, served an eight-to-ten year sentence
- Appetite for reading developed while in prison
Different, right? King never personally experienced the hardships that Malcolm seemed to face at every turn of his early life. King didn't have to steal to live and he wasn't put down by his teachers. Malcolm experienced everything that was wrong with the segregated society of that time and felt that it needed drastic changes. If white people were so violent and hostile towards him and other blacks, why shouldn't their revolution be just the same?
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