Social-Political Ideals of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr - Essay Example

During this period, other two key figures were also assassinated stretching the list of those who died by the bullet; Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, J.F. Kennedy (the then president of America), and Robert F. Kennedy constitute the list (DeCaro, 234).

Unlike Luther, Malcolm X believed in the militant approach of articulating people’s grievances. Malcolm X resented the discrimination tendency that was rife in America than for the blacks (Rickford, 123). He lamented that Blacks just like the whites had equal rights in the country and vehemently opposed all the discriminatory policies that were imposed on Blacks including disfranchising the blacks (Rickford, 233). Because of his militant way of addressing people’s grievances, Malcolm X on several occasions rebuked Luther for his policy on non-violent methods of seeking attention even though both were in pursuant of the same objective.

Malcolm after the unclear death of his father and the paralysis of his mother lived with foster families and later with his sister. Malcolm's aggression is attributed to his past experiences of life concerning the oppression he observed laid on Blacks by the Whites. Malcolm's belief that Blacks were oppressed and needed liberation through the use of force was enhanced during his incarceration in Norfolk (Baldwin, 188). During this period, Malcolm converted to profess Islamic faith owing to the teaching of Islam-equality among human races. Following his conversion, he became a follower of the Nation Islam Leader Elijah Muhammad since the movement was for the Blacks (DeCaro, 229).

Because of his violent rhetoric, Malcolm became a worry to the whites in America, and apparently, that lead to his assassination on 21 February 1965 in Harlem, New York in a public gathering while giving a speech. He adopted the use of X as his other name because he could not trace his African name (Rickford, 287).

In sharp contrast, Luther who was another African American descendant negated the use of violence in articulating people’s grievances and instead opted for the non-violent way. Luther fondly known as the father of the civil rights movement was equally opposed to the segregation and discrimination that existed between the blacks and the whites in America then. Equality, fair labor laws, and voting rights were top of Luther’s concern in addressing his people’s issues (Baldwin, 212).

Just like Malcolm, Luther learned the non-violent approach from the Indian spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhi’s teachings on resistance to oppression were based on non-violent methods. Luther was impressed with Gandhi’s teachings and even visited him, he used the teachings to ensure that his people’s desires were met while not tolerating any form of violence. One of the most salient memories of Luther’s non-violent approach to resistance was the Montgomery bus boycott. Luther organized a bus boycott that lasted for nearly a year following the arrest of a black by Rosa Park on grounds that the black refused to surrender her seat for her, a white. Instead of violence, Luther opted for the boycott as that was his ideal (Baldwin, 302). A similar movement was observed in Albany where he organized demonstrations in articulating the grievances of his people. Again, because of King's Popularity increase and pressure he was putting on the government, he was assassinated in a public meeting in Memphis, Tennesse on 4 April 1968 (Baldwin, 398).