Both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were vital individuals in the fight for equal rights. Both of these individuals desired to be treated as equals, rather than subhuman. Though both men were greatly influenced by their religious beliefs and were passionate about their cause, the way they went about achieving their goals were immensely different. While King believed in never becoming violent, integration, and a strong Christian faith, Malcolm X advocated for violence when necessary, was against integration, and believed in the Muslim faith. King was imprisoned after participating in a “…nonviolent direct-action program” in Birmingham. Even in self-defense, violence was rarely, if ever, used during protest lead by King. Malcolm X, on the other hand, notes that his approach to civil rights is very different from “…Dr. Martin Luther Kings’s non-violent marching…” Though their ideas sometimes aligned, “Malcolm’s voice established a vigorous alternative to the oracular preachings…” of King. …show more content…
King believed that, “[a]ll segregation laws are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality.” He believed that people of all colors should be able to come together as one. Malcolm X, on the other hand, was against integration. In fact, he discouraged white people from joining black organizations. He was suspicious of whites wanting to join, stating, “…white people who want to join black organizations are really just taking the escapist way to slave their consciences.” Rather, he believed white people should fight against the racism in other white people, while blacks should “build within themselves much greater awareness…” Malcolm X preached that before there could be solidarity between blacks and whites, there must be unity within the blacks