King: A Life

Malcolm X was the chief spokesperson for the Nation of Islam (NOI), a Black nationalist organization, in the 1950s and early 1960s. Although both King and Malcolm X were prominent figures in the civil rights movement, in many ways they were rivals, counseling very different responses to white supremacy and structural racism. Whereas King sought to appeal to Black and white audiences and urged integration, Malcolm X and the NOI rejected integration on the grounds that white America would never treat its Black citizens equally, so Black people would have to define their own collective existence as separately as possible. While Malcolm X himself never used or stoked violence, he often warned that violence might at some point be necessary to address the evils of racism, and in his speeches, he often mocked and derided King’s approach of nonviolent resistance. King in turn warned that if the white establishment was not willing to work with him, they would be left to deal with more radical parties like the NOI.

The two men met only once, in 1964. Shortly after, Malcolm X expelled from the NOI after challenging its leader, Elijah Muhammad, over his extramarital affairs. Malcolm X was assassinated by NOI gunmen on February 25, 1965, after which King’s attitude toward his former rival appeared to soften. He offered kind words to Playboy magazine about Malcolm X, though he remained critical of the NOI. Over time, King found himself drifting closer to Malcolm X’s position on certain issues. He questioned nonviolent resistance’s efficacy in banishing racism and told journalist David Halberstam that “only a small part of white America supported racial justice” (525).