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Introduction
Racial segregation, as a systemic effort to make African-Americans subordinate, was one of the critical problems of the US. Such a position denied equal access of African-Americans to public services and limited their rights. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X are the most prominent ministers and proponents of the struggle against racial segregation. While King offered non-violent solutions to achieve justice and integrate American society, Malcolm X claimed that self-protection should be the basis of the movement, which combined practice seems to be a relevant solution.
Main body
In America, the Second Reconstruction lasted from the end of World War II to the late 1960s, when the correction of human and civil rights started. The main characteristics of this period refer to African-Americans’ struggle against economic and social inequalities and grassroots movement. The problem of segregation by race was critical in that period, leading to the Civil Rights Movement. It improved the position of African-Americans as they received voting and civil rights. Economic inequality and political powerlessness are the key factors that pushed people to engage in the struggle for equal rights. However, many of them remained unemployed, having to live in poverty and lacking access to resources.
Martin Luther King promoted the philosophy of pacifism and non-violent resistance. In his “I Have a Dream” speech, he states that the lives of the so-called Negroes are still “crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination”. The solution to this problem is the protest against injustice through brotherhood and peace to achieve equality for all the people regardless of their skin color. However, when King speaks about race, it is meant that people should not forget about race, but treat every person equally. He called Americans to actively participate in the change peacefully as a nation since hatred and violence cannot overcome inequality. The vision of King seems to be useful to integrate the society, including all the members. For example, the speech includes the following statement: “the victim of unspeakable horrors of police brutality”. Accordingly, King’s speech recognizes the problem of injustice and inspires people to follow his non-violent dream.
Malcolm X, the leader of the African-American nationalist movement, criticized King for relying on peaceful methods. He pointed to the law of self-preservation that is noted in the Constitution to stress that every American citizen has a right to bear arms. According to Malcolm X, history indicated that African-Americans should be prepared to protect themselves “at the mercy of ruthless and violent mob”, as stated in his “Message to the Grassroots”. In addition, Malcolm claimed that morality can be used only against those who are also moral, but the White oppressors, murderers, and exploiters are not moral. Another argument against King refers to the opposition to integration. In his “The Ballot or Bullet” Speech”, he says that “the black man should control the politics and the politicians in his community”. The underlying reason for such a solution is that only African-Americans can truly understand their needs and required politics to benefit their community. Malcolm X claimed that White liberals cannot offer the solution to the problem of racial segregation.
The Civil Rights movement was diverse and complicated during the Second Reconstruction period. Both King and Malcolm X ultimately worked towards the same goal, even though with completely different means. The speeches organized by both activists awoke the whole country, especially the Black population of the US. On the one hand, King’s peaceful ways are holistic, moral, and humane as they targeted non-violence. On the other hand, violence as a method of overcoming racial segregation is justifiable as a legitimate form of struggle for one’s rights. It is possible to argue that Black America needed to be reckoned with, even by organizing riots. Therefore, both King and Malcolm X seem to be right since their calls were relevant and appealing to address racial discrimination. The African-American population of America gradually became a full-fledged part of American society, and the foundations of modern political correctness emerged. Ultimately, the combination of the views of these activists seems to be the best solution possible.
Conclusion
To conclude, Martin Luther King focused on addressing the racial problem by the integration of the American society as a nation, which implied using non-violent strategies. Malcolm X criticized him for compromising with the Whites and pointed to the weaknesses of peaceful solutions. In turn, Malcolm X proposed organizing the movement around self-defense and the use of morality only to moral people. Although King stated that hatred only multiplies violence, it seems that Malcolm X’s ideas about the need to control the African-American community as nationalists also seem to be important for making the voices of the oppressed loud. Today, in the face of the wake of violent actions after the death of George Floyd, the self-expression of rioters allowed them to show their pain and problems. Nevertheless, these voices that became loud should be transformed into peaceful conversations to achieve the genuine equality of all Americans.
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