Martin Luther King and Malcolm
X
When people hear the word Civil Rights Movement, two men automatically come to their minds, Martin Luther King
Jr. and Malcolm X. While both these men had very different views and ideas, they also shared similarities. Part of the reason for their different views was because one was in the South and the other was in the North. Martin saw a
Dream that could be fulfilled in the South and Malcolm saw a Nightmare, which would never end in the North. Martin and Malcolm were raised in very different homes. Martin
Luther King Jr. grew up in Atlanta; his family status was that of the middle class, he never experienced poverty or hunger like Malcolm did. Martin was raised in a loving and supporting environment. His parents instilled in him the importance of self-respect and self-help. They taught
Martin and his other siblings that they could make something out of their lives despite the fact that the color of their skin was black. Martin's father was a prominent preacher for the Ebenezer Baptist Church. His mother was a member of the choir. Family and church were a big part of Martin's childhood, and influenced his adult life and they way he chose to lead it. Unlike Martin's supportive family,
Malcolm Little, better known as Malcolm X, grew up in a home that never knew what it meant to be in the middle class; Malcolm's family grew up in the ghettos of the North.
His parents never taught their children to love themselves and be proud of who they were, because they themselves had lost their self-respect. Malcolm's parents were very abusive to their children and to each other, making the home environment just as volatile as the surroundings outside. Malcolm's parents were big supporters of Marcus
Garvey's teachings. His father was the president of the
Omaha branch of the UNIA, which was started by Garvey, and his mother was the reporter for the meetings. Not only were their religious backgrounds different and their social class standings
Jr. and Malcolm X. While both these men had very different views and ideas, they also shared similarities. Part of the reason for their different views was because one was in the South and the other was in the North. Martin saw a
Dream that could be fulfilled in the South and Malcolm saw a Nightmare, which would never end in the North. Martin and Malcolm were raised in very different homes. Martin
Luther King Jr. grew up in Atlanta; his family status was that of the middle class, he never experienced poverty or hunger like Malcolm did. Martin was raised in a loving and supporting environment. His parents instilled in him the importance of self-respect and self-help. They taught
Martin and his other siblings that they could make something out of their lives despite the fact that the color of their skin was black. Martin's father was a prominent preacher for the Ebenezer Baptist Church. His mother was a member of the choir. Family and church were a big part of Martin's childhood, and influenced his adult life and they way he chose to lead it. Unlike Martin's supportive family,
Malcolm Little, better known as Malcolm X, grew up in a home that never knew what it meant to be in the middle class; Malcolm's family grew up in the ghettos of the North.
His parents never taught their children to love themselves and be proud of who they were, because they themselves had lost their self-respect. Malcolm's parents were very abusive to their children and to each other, making the home environment just as volatile as the surroundings outside. Malcolm's parents were big supporters of Marcus
Garvey's teachings. His father was the president of the
Omaha branch of the UNIA, which was started by Garvey, and his mother was the reporter for the meetings. Not only were their religious backgrounds different and their social class standings
Bibliography: Cone, James H. Martin and Malcolm and America. New York: Orbis Books, 1991. Franklin, Robert Michael. Liberating Visions: Human Fulfillment and Social Justice in African-American Thought. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1990. Perry, Bruce. Malcolm: The Life of a Man Who Changed Black America. New York: Station Hill Press, 1991. Williams, John A. The King God Didn 't Save. New York: Coward-McCann, Inc., 1970.