Sarah Joy Sy

Professor Martinez
November 23, 2015
Malcolm X Paper
When we think of the Civil Rights Movement, we think of the advocacy of racial and
gender equality. We especially think of the surge of actions that propelled the idea of African
American rights in America, such as the March on Washington on August 28, 1963. We
remember the I Have a Dream speech from Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as his strategy of
non-violence that exploited the white mans brutality towards black people. We inevitably think
that this was a time that ultimately helped African Americans take a step forward towards
equality and the end of segregation. However, we forget about an important figure that was
crucial to the improvement of how African Americans viewed themselves as a race back then.
Such a figure was Malcolm X, whose strategy was arguably more aggressive than Martin Luther
King, Jr.. He promoted Black Nationalism and believed that the African American population
should have self-respect for themselves and in their race. In Malcolm X and Alex Haleys book,
The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley, Malcolm X speaks in first person of
his entire life, mostly switching his tone from almost indifference to being indignant. Throughout
this autobiography, he recounts his younger years and later explains his thoughts of Martin
Luther King, Jr.; he also explains his strategy to help African Americans through ardent mass
persuasion by advocating racial separation as integration only degrades the black mass.
Despite the conflicting methods and views Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. had of
the African American rights issue, Malcolm X still had a slight admiration for Martin Luther
King, Jr.. Originally, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. were at odds with each other as

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civil rights leaders were scrutinizing the Nation of Islam with the rest of the country as a
response to The Hate That Hate Produced, a documentary produced by Mike Wallace and Louis
Lomax in 1959. Malcolm, in turn, responded by saying that the [Modern Uncle Tom is
sometimes] known as Professor, Doctor, Judge, and Reverend.by that I mean his profession is
being a Negro for the white man. (X, Malcolm and Hayes, 248.) Malcolm X thought that most
educated black man were nothing but somewhat puppets that white people could manipulate as
the black man had been educated as a white man. As Malcolm had included the title of
Reverend (X, Malcolm and Hayes, 248.) in his counterattack against civil rights leaders, he
had also meant to include Martin Luther King, Jr. in this group of modern Uncle Toms. To
further drive up the belief that the educated black man was controlled by the white man,
Malcolm X also described these men as having black bodies with white heads. (X, Malcolm
and Hayes, 248.) This meant that although these men were of African heritage, they thought like
a white man, symbolizing the integrated black man and ultimately controlled by the white man.
As he had included Martin Luther King, Jr. in the circle of being an educated black man,
Malcolm X also described him as being an integrated black man.
However, despite Malcolm Xs view of them early on, he still thought that they were a
part of the black masses. He explained that despite the verbal attacks at Muslims, they were still
black people (X, Malcolm and Hayes, 274.) and that it would be foolish to let the white man
maneuver [him] against the civil rights movement. (X, Malcolm and Hayes, 274.) Even though
they are essentially attacking his religious beliefs, he still believes in obtaining black unity. He
believes that they are a part of the black population and despite the differences between them, he
would much rather have unity among the black race than have it divided by the white men of

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America; as Mark Shields had said, There is always strength in numbers. (Shields) He also did
not want his words to be twisted by the media as he believed in human rights, which were
included in American civil rights. As well, if he was written in the news to be against the Civil
Rights Movement, then most of the black population would be against him; he strived for black
unity in America, so why would he want division? In fact, Malcolm had confessed that he and
Martin Luther King, Jr. held the same goal. He argued that the goal had always been the same,
with the approaches to it as different as mine and Dr. Martin Luther King,s non-violence. He
agreed that they both worked toward black unity, human and civiil rights, as well as black
empowerment, despite their opposite approaches.
Also, When Alex Haley talked about his interviews with Malcolm X in the epilogue, he
said that excepting reluctant admiration of Dr. Martin Luther King, [he] heard [Malcolm] speak
well of only one other minister. (X, Malcolm and Hayes, 408 and 409.) Malcolm had held
disdain for the civil rights leaders and Christian ministers since they criticized and verbally
attacked the Muslims in the Nation of Islam, but only two were worth enough to speak well of;
that included Martin Luther King, Jr. as one of the two people Malcolm X spoke well of.
Although Malcolm did not like the way Martin Luther King, Jr. approached civil rights through
non-violence, he still respected the man enough for his ambition and the fact that they share a
similar goal; they both wanted to empower the black people and attain rights that have been long
deserved for their race in America.
As for why Malcolm X was considered an extremist to people living in that time and why
people thought he was too aggressive with his strategy, we must identify his strategy. He
believed in separatism as the solution as integration was degrading to the black people. He

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thought that integration would ultimately destroy the white racesand the black race. (X,
Malcolm and Hayes, 282.) He thought that the white man would never want to assimilate with
any other race as they thought they were superior, much less with their slaves race. The black
people would be forced to assimilate to the culture, therefore leaving their culture and traditions
behind in favor of fitting in; the race would lose their power and beauty of being an AfricanAmerican. He also explained that segregation was forced upon inferiors by superiors, whereas
separation is done voluntarily by two equals- for the good of both. (X, Malcolm and Hayes,
257.) What he meant was that by separation, both are treated as equal as the other. There was no
color superiority or racial inferiority. They were of equal power in that not one side would
oppress the other like in segregation. He wanted to empower blacks as their own proud ethnicity
instead of just taking the orders of white men. When thought that way, most people would
believe that no sane black man really wants integration. and that the only solution is complete
separation from the white man. (X, Malcolm and Hayes, 250.) If the black race was completely
separated by the white race, it would allow the blacks to freely unite and live the way they want.
Why bother trying to fit in with an ethnicity you are not in order to live without discrimination at
the cost of losing your own heritage? Would you still choose integration if you have a choice
between that and an option wherein you can live in in a free society where [you] can walk with
their heads up? (X, Malcolm and Hayes, 278.) In other words, would you willingly sacrifice
your culture and traditions to live under someone elses rules or will you choose to live how you
want without the fear that your ethnicity will hinder your role in society?
He wanted to spread that awareness to the black population of the reality they lived in:
that they were living their lives oppressed by the white man. He would often draw people in with

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shock-inducing introductions to grab their attention. He would speak ardently and dramatically
to the listeners he had recruited from anywhere he could find about the ways white people have
made black people suffer. He had said that the dramatization of slavery never failed intensely to
arouse Negroes hearing horrors spelled out for the first time. (X, Malcolm and Hayes, 217.) He
These people would hear of pregnant black women who were thrown overboard [the slave
ships] if they got to sick (X, Malcolm and Hayes, 216.) or of wives, mothers, daughter, being
raped (X, Malcolm and Hayes, 206) by the white man. All of these were taken as shocking
truths that made black people aware of all the damage white people had done to them. However,
to hear the horrors of pregnant people being killed off in general gave -and still gives- people an
uncomfortable feeling, much like the feeling of a close one being sexually harassed with nothing
you can do to help them. These statements were shared to these listeners to break their illusion of
a benevolent white person or that they would befriend a black person- the white peoples social
pariah in America.
After he had successfully caught their attention, he would tell them that the enemy is the
white man. (X, Malcolm and Hayes, 256.) In doing so, it gave a focus for the listeners to
concentrate on. As Malcolm would list off the horrors the white race had exacted upon their
slaves, people from their African homeland, it would allow them to center all those atrocities as
being caused by the white race; it gave his words solidity and coherency as it would revolve on
the central idea of the white population was to blame for their suffering. He would give more
reasons that the white man had oppressed and manipulated their people. He never [bit his] tongue
or miss a single opportunity to tell the truth about the crimes, the evils, and the indignities (X,
Malcolm and Hayes, 351.) that his race had suffered in America. Malcolm X had made sure to

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identify the white race as corrupt and cunning. He believed that white people had used the black
as a way to make their life easier and had never once treated them as people. For example, he
would remind them that their fore parents bloody sweaty blacks was used by the white man to
build this empire thats today the richest of all. He used this to get them to vilify the white race
and how the black people had worked hard to build this society, only for it to turn its back on
them. Malcolm Xs points would gather and incite in them the feeling of frustration at how hard
they worked for nothing.
He would then wrap it up by driving the point of unity amongst their race. He reasoned
that by being united, their power would help claim their human rights. He argued that no one
will know who we areuntil we know who we are. (X, Malcolm and Hayes, 257.) If we do not
know where we stand or what we believe in, how can we survive the flow of others beliefs from
washing ours away? What is more important is if we do not know who we are as a person and
what we want to pursue, how can we express ourselves to others- a necessary skill that is needed
to make a change for the better? He also advocated for African Americans to stand up as a united
forefront in order to show America that they are powerful as well. He stressed that African
Americans need to look inside and realize what truly makes them who they are. He even said to
his listeners that they all have in common the greatest binding tie we could havewe are all
black people. (X, Malcolm and Hayes, 256.) In saying this, he reinforced the idea that they are
all part of the same thing. He strengthened their innate instinct that they had in that it awoke a
sense of power within them; he helped his African American population in that he awoke their
sense of nationality and increased their sense of unity. Throughout this whole process, he had
torn down previous misconceptions of the white races superiority, embed a sense of proactivity

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in their thoughts, and left them with something to achieve- a unified sense of awareness and
strength in their race as opposed to immediately choosing to be akin to the white population. He
took this all over the country and even internationally when he spoke an universities, churches,
mosques, and other assemblies and rallies, allowing multitudes of African Americans as well as
all ethnicities that were interested to learn. Imagine how many were exposed to this and an
awareness for pride in their color was made present in their souls?
In his later years, specifically post-Mecca pilgrimage (the hajj), he began to broaden his
views on the solution for human rights. He had initially included the belief in Pan-Africanism in
that he stressed to the African assembly press that there should be a need for mutual
communication and support between the African and Afro-Americans. (X, Malcolm and Hayes,
360.) He had spent his time in Africa after finishing his pilgrimage to communicating with
various public figures across Africa. Through his conversations with them, he came across the
idea of Pan-Africanism and had wholly agreed to its concepts. He started to believe that if the
African population were ever to unite, (X, Malcolm and Hayes, 370.) achieving human rights
would be within reach at a quicker race. The sheer number of Africas population easily dwarfed
that of America. If they can come together to fight for human rights in America- even the worldwho would go and stop them?
He gradually began to open up to the possibility of cooperating with white people. As he
was exposed to the lack of color awareness among the many ethnicities inhabiting Africa, he also
realized that there are genuine white people in the world eager to help attain human rights
regardless of race.However, he still kept a sense of separation as he refused to allow white
people into his organizations. He instead told whites that they could help financially support their

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organizations; he also expressed that they should improve their peoples views on color and
racial tolerance while his organizations would continue to boost black nationalism, raise African
awareness, and build unity amongst the African Americans. For example, when a person had
asked Malcolm X if whit people could join, Malcolm X had said that they cant join us. (X,
Malcolm and Hayes, 383.) He believed that if a white person truly believed in helping out
African Americans in the fight for human rights, they would not be so desperate to join an
organization focused solely on the cause, but rather find a way to help contribute to the overall
impact. If they really wanted to be in an organization, they could create their own. He feared at
the time that if he allowed white people to join his organization, more would join for superficial
reasons rather than for the original goal. He believed that by working separately, the sincere
white people and sincere black people actually will be working together. (X, Malcolm and
Hayes, 384.) He reasoned that by focusing on their respective sides, they could work more
efficiently in reforming the thought of racial inequality to morph into racial equality. It is also
reasonable to say that people are more inclined to listen from their own ethnicity rather than
someone who we have created an existing notion about them. Even more so, if an African
American were to try to persuade a white person in this time, their words would almost definitely
be ignored, and therefore counter productive. Malcolms solution of separatism had helped the
African Americans lift their heads up and and genuinely challenge why they should continue to
think of themselves as an inferior race. He helped instill pride in African American listeners and
advocated the expression of black nationalism.
As for the what I think of which strategy is the better one? I think that Malcolm Xs
strategy was more encompassing in attaining rights and was more goal-oriented. However, I also

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believed that Martin Luther King, Jr.s strategy was more effective in that it attracted more
positive reaction and media due to the sheer fact that people refused to fight back to violence,
often getting severely injured. It had attracted more attention and was more socially accepted in
that time in history; that was the strength in non-violence. Again, however, I would still pick
Malcolm Xs strategy over Kings as the points of separatism seemed more efficient in that it
would improve the viewpoint of racial acceptance and equality. Also, if Martin Luther King, Jr.s
strategy were to have worked that way it was originally thought to be, there would be no racism
in this country;we would not have discrimination. Even in modern times, when his dream came
true in that black and white people would come hand-in-hand, there is still tension within races.
There continues to be racial bias and stereotypes in schools, work, and in social gatherings to
name some. Would it hurt to try out Malcolms strategy? I would still side with Malcolm Xs
strategy even if I was to be in the sixties. After all, I would be considered as a non-white and I
would have liked the idea of living separately from the white populations standards and whims.
If Malcolm X were to have continued to live, he would have been able to attract more people to
join his cause enough to make a huge impact. However, as he was assassinated, we will never
see that come to fruition unless someone brings it upon himself to pick up and start over again.

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Works Cited

1.

X, Malcolm, and Alex Haley. The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told by Alex Haley.

New York: Random House,Inc., 1964.

2.

Shields, Mark. BrainyQuote.com, Xplore Inc, 2015. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/

quotes/m/markshield226003.html, accessed November 15, 2015.

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