For centuries, African Americans fought a losing battle against slave owners for equality. However, in the mid- twentieth century Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X emerged, and shook the foundation of slavery in ways that will never be forgotten. The two served as influential leaders, and a symbol of unity for colored people across the nation. Though King and X had radically different means of operating, they had a similar goal in mind, equal rights for African Americans.
Dr.King was born on January 15, 1929, and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. By the age of 15, he was accepted into Morehouse College, which he graduated from in 1948. King later earned his Doctorate in Systematic Theology at Boston University. Around the late 1950’s, King’s
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This quality aided the two in winning the favor of their African American counterparts, and being selected as leaders in their community. Not surprisingly, both men used this opportunity to fight for the rights of their race through organized marches, protests, and powerful speeches. Additionally, many argue that as the two grew older they became more like each other, as shown by the following. “As the 85th birthday of Malcolm X is marked on Wednesday, history has freeze-framed him as the angry black separatist who saw whites as blue-eyed devils. Yet near the end of his life, Malcolm X was becoming more like King -- and King was becoming more like him. While Malcolm is moderating from his earlier position, King is becoming more militant (CNN, 2010).” Not to say that Malcolm X became an angel, or King became a soldier, but the two began to shift their views closer along the lines of assertive rather than total opposites of each other. Regrettably, the two were never able to reach the pinnacle of their careers as activist and reformers because they were both assassinated at the age of