Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X: A Common Solution

Years after the deaths of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X the two men still remain fixed images in the American con sciousness: Martin Luther King, Jr., an advocate of nonvio lence, delivering his "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps ofthe Lincoln Memorial, and Malcolm X, the black nationalist, encouraging African Americans to fight racial oppression "by any means neces sary." Were these two men really ideological opposites? Did they share any common ground? Were their thoughts about each other and the struggle for African American liberation changing in the years leading up to their assassinations? Is it possible that the two leaders may have converged, if not for their untimely deaths? While many students are familiar with Martin Luther King, Jr., the civil rights leader, most are totally unfamiliar with his call to bring an end to the Vietnam War or his efforts to bring about economic justice. Students' knowledge of Malcolm X is even more limited; few, if any, know of X's efforts to correspond with King or ofthe dramatic shift in his racial attitudes that followed his trip to Mecca. The primary goal of this lesson is to challenge students' precon ceived notions about Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X and the roles they played in the African American struggle for freedom. While there is certainly much to be learned by examining the different philosophies and tactics of each leader, these two men, who combined their religious leadership with political action, have much more to teach us as we explore how their visions for racial justice developed into a call for social and economic equality and human rights.