Running head; King and Malcolm

Martin Luther King Junior and Malcolm X

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Martin Luther King Junior was an activist, humanitarian and the leader of the Civil Rights
Movement. King was fighting for equal rights for the African American community. The Civil
Rights Act of 1964 facilitated the end of segregation of the black American community at work
and other public places. It also led to the end of discrimination based on race, the color of ones
skin, gender, religion, and ethnicity. Malcolm X was also a black Muslim minister who fought
for the Black Muslim faith and argued that people should use any means in fighting the white
supremacy. Malcolm was an outspoken leader of the Nation of Islam, and his approach to
violence influenced both Muslims and people from the black community.
Difference
Malcolm X believed that violence was the on way to deal with the racial discrimination from the
white people. Many urban African Americans saw his message to be inspiring as he was
encouraging them to defend themselves. In his effort of encouraging violence, he also supported
the separation of the whites from the blacks. (Gormley, 2008).
Martin Luther King Junior, on the other hand, saw Malcolms message was wrong according to
Christian teachings. He believed in the peaceful demonstration by refusing to obey laws such as
the Jim Crow laws. His decision and stand for peaceful demonstration are from his influencer,
Gandhi, who was an Indian activist against the British rule. An example of such a scenario is
when Rosa Parks, was arrested in 1955 for refusing to give his bus seat to a man who came into
the bus after her. King led the black community in The Montgomery Bus Boycott, which lasted
for over 385 days and resulted in his house being bombed. Despite that, his efforts led to the end
of segregation and racial discrimination in buses and other public places. (Howard-Pitney, King,
& X, 2004).

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Similarities
Despite the path Malcolm and King took to pass on the message and fight for their rights, they
were all aiming at one primary goal of bringing equal rights for the black community. Violence
or no violence, both leaders believed in the freedom of the black community from the leadership
of the white community. They also wanted to bring the black community together in defending
themselves against the white communitys slavery and racial discrimination in the 1960s.
Another significant similarity between the two civil rights leaders is that their biggest influencers
had been their fathers and their religion. Malcolm came from a poor background,
underprivileged and was mistreated by white people but he emerged as a spokesman for his
community as per the teaching of Islam religion. King came from a middle-class family and went
to college where he started his journey to be part of the civil rights movement hence following in
his fathers footsteps. Both Malcolm and King dedicated their lives to the community based on
religion and despite their love for their respective families they believed in a bigger mission of
freeing their people. They also encouraged African-Americans to be part of organizations as
well as register as voters because they knew that the capitalist system was aimed at benefitting
the rich through the exploitation of the poor. (Howard-Pitney, King, & X, 2004)
In conclusion, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Junior had different approaches in defending
their people against racial discrimination and slavery, but they both had one goal. They believed
in setting the African-American community free from the white mistreatment. Malcolm believed
in extreme measures and violence while King advocated for a peaceful demonstration which led
to the Civil rights Act on 1965. The Civil Rights Act ensured equal opportunities for people of all
races and ended the segregation of the black community.

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References
Gormley, B. (2008). Malcolm X. New York: Sterling Pub.
Howard-Pitney, D., King, M., & X, M. (2004). Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and the civil
rights struggle of the 1950s and 1960s. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's.