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 strugglesfor 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 themto 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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 A Dream by Any Means
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

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 A Dream by Any Means
after the family home burned to the ground, they found Malcolm’s

father, Earl, lying deadacross 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.

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

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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, anddiscuss 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).

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 A Dream by Any Means
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.

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

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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 passengerscould 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

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to 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

integratewith 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

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 A Dream by Any Means
“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).

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

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 A Dream by Any Means
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.

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:

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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).

He felt that even though Malcolm was “articulate” and had some

of the answers, he strongly disagreed with Malcolm's militancy,

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 A Dream by Any Means
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

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caused by his earlier messages against Martin and other civil

rights leaders.

Martin became angry at the progress the black community

made with equality, so he implored the tactic of nonviolent

sabotage, which includedblocking 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

beassassinated on February 21, 1965. Martin regretted that

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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).

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,

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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.

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.

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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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