Compare And Contrast Malcolm X And Letter From Birmingham Jail

Malcolm X, an African American leader and prominent figure in the Nation of Islam, was a significant individual in the African American fight for justice and equality. In contrast to the mainstream Civil Rights Movement with its nonviolent pursuit of integration, Malcolm X voiced concepts of race pride and Black Nationalism during the 1950s and '60s. Although many argue that Malcolm X did not actually “do” anything for the black community, his nontraditional programs brought a new perspective to the Civil Rights Movement, and this perspective is of relevance today in the black community.

Some privileged people disregard the violence against the oppressed people to develop a sense of safety. They hide behind their entitlement and exemption; ignoring the rest of the people that are suffering around them. Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his famous letter, “A Letter From Birmingham Jail” in response to the criticism that was expressed by eight prominent white clergyman. He wrote the letter to battle injustice and oppression against African Americans during the events of the Civil Rights movement. His letter was written decades apart from Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Letter to my Son,” however, both letter still reflects the ongoing events of today’s society. Coates’ letter, written on 2015, portrays a black American father writing to his son and fears that however hard he protects him from the street, encourages him to work in school, and do the right thing, the color of his skin, will always make him vulnerable. King and Coates’ letter both appeal to the broader public to inform them of the institutional racism in America. King focuses on the immorality of the church in order to justify the cause of the power structure that racism reinforce. Both authors expose the injustices of the legal system to support their indictment of the systemic racism in America.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told by Alex Haley is the story about a man who greatly impacted American history. Malcolm Little, or Malcolm X as he is more widely known, taught what he believed in regards to segregation, racism, and discrimination. Growing up in a large family with a father Earl Little, a Baptist minister, and his mother Louis Little, who was a homemaker, Malcolm’s life at the time seemed very promising. His father’s involvement in support of the Black National gained him many death threats at the hands of white supremacists. In 1929, they lost their house to fire, and two years later the body of Malcolm’s father was found mutilated. This lead to the emotional breakdown of Malcolm’s mother and in turn she was institutionalized. Malcolm and his siblings were separated and placed in foster homes, and from then, his life began a path of drugs, sex, and crime. It was not until he was imprisoned in 1946, that he decided to make some changes for the better. This essay will assess and discuss those changes whether negative or positive, on a micro, mezzo, and macro level. It will also cover some of the effects of racial prejudice on human behavior, and how society today keeps the ideology of Malcolm X alive.

In “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr extensively establishes his ethos and proves his authority on the matter of racial injustice. “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. We have some eighty-five affiliated organizations across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights” (King 1). King was the focal point of the Civil Rights movement and continues to symbolize the equality of all races to this very day. His authority to advocate on the

When he was arrested and jailed in Birmingham, Alabama he then fell under criticism by white clergy for coming to Birmingham as an “outsider” to cause trouble and increase tension through public sit-ins and marches. I feel that Martin Luther King was able to both set aside that criticism by establishing his credibility to have not only been invited to come to Birmingham to help end the injustice to the Negro people via peaceful means, but he was able to identify moral, legal and ethical cause to promote his quest to put a stop to what he identified as “the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States” (King, 2017, p, 3). I will provide a summary that will show what Martin Luther King believed were the cause of the injustice that he was striving to end to as well as his concern over the white community’s ability to make the Negro “wait for more than three hundred and forty years for our constitutional and God-given rights.”

King wants to join the clergyman as one of them. To get rid of all the negativity they have towards the black. Hoping that after segregation is over, they can join together to make a greater nation. King is inviting the clergyman to peace between them. His tone is hopeful and determine to achieve his goals as he states in his last sentence of Birmingham Jail, "Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away... not too distant tomorrow radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation". Dr. King wants equality in quantity for everyone not just the

My College Writing class has opened my eyes to several different kinds of reading which I never thought I would or could read. It never occurred t me that I could learn another point of view, even think strategic in regarding poverty, power, liberty, equality and justice. Two of the readings have really stood out to me: Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Martian Luther King, Jr and Shakespeare’s Sister by Virginia Wolff, in which both of these readings feature a sense of freedom, equality and calmness. These senses are equally important to each other, without one you can’t have the other. Nothing in life can be maintained until you have freedom, equality and calmness.

In April 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. was imprisoned for his participation in nonviolent demonstrations against segregation. He was placed in jail for eleven days during which he composed the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” which was in response to an open letter that declared his efforts for racial justice as being “unwise and untimely.” In this letter, he defended the tactic of nonviolent resistance to racism. The letter also stressed that people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws as well as to take immediate action preferably than to wait endlessly for the courts to bring about justice. King’s understanding of justice is best summed up when he states that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” In other words,

Malcolm’s Stance in this piece is very passionate, yet also extremely grateful that he had the chance to be able to experience the things he did in prison. He feels as if reading has changed him and opened his eyes to new ways of thinking and comprehensions. He stated that he feels no one has gained as much as he has from his experiences through reading in prison. However, he Stance took a slight detour when he started talking about African American men or “black race” in America. He still was passionate, but he started to sound annoyed with how the African American man was going about trying to obtain his civil rights. Malcolm felt as if African Americans were fighting a lost cause because they didn’t even have their human

Bitterness enveloped Malcolm at a young age with the murder of his father and the subsequent deterioration and institutionalization of his mother causing the breakup and separation of his family. Despite Malcolm’s above average intelligence allowed him to perform better than most of the white students in his school, while in foster care, he was further permanently marked by less than positive advice given to him about the direction and hopes for his future after high school. As it were, a white teacher upon hearing of Malcolm’s desire to be a lawyer, explained the impossibility of being a lawyer because he was black. Further the teacher advised that Malcolm plans his future more in line with that of Blacks of the time. For both MLK and Malcolm X these formative years proved to both shape and direct their futures until the ends of their lives. Ultimately, we see the childhood environmental influences, for both MLK and Malcolm X in adulthood, realized in their social goals for African Americans.

In April of 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. found himself in a small cell in Birmingham Alabama, arrested for his participation in the peaceful protest of discrimination against African-Americans. King firmly believed that non-violent protest, in the form of sit-ins, boycotts, and picketing, would raise awareness of the prejudices African-Americans suffered and, in turn, lead to progress in gaining equal rights between the races. His “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” which he wrote during his incarceration in response to the idea that the battle for civil rights should be fought in court, not via protests, states that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” In other words, injustice in all forms should be addressed and

During the past century, the United States of America has wresled with the problem of inequality between black and white people. Two influential people who helped to combat racism and the inequality of man were Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X had two differentiated approaches to accomplish the same things for black. Both King and Malcolm X started their own organizations, organized rallies, and both gave speeches, but, their beliefs and

In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr sees the injustices of the black communities and defends the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism. The letter argues the necessity of immediate action against racism and racial segregation.

During a very significant time period of American History, many leaders, particularly Malcolm X, rose to prominence during the Civil Rights era. The mid 1900’s was a time of racial segregation, and discrimination leading to a worldwide issue between the black and white races. “By any means necessary”, a famous quote breeds from this time of racial discrimination which brought together thousands of people to get what they as humans deserved. 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans in Southern states still inhabited a harshly unequal world of segregation, and forms of oppression. Jim Crow laws were formed during the 1880’s forming a system of segregation and discrimination that barred black Americans from a status equal to that of white Americans. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the constitution granted blacks freedom, citizenship, and suffrage. Malcolm X during his lifetime had influenced many African Americans to step up for their rights against the injustices by the American government. While he has been criticized for his hard stances that resemble extremism, on the other hand he has been praised him for his effort in raising the status for African Americans. Malcolm X was a brave advocate for African Americans as he fought for what him and every other black person in the world deserved, freedom. Both his participation in the civil rights movement, and his promotion of segregation between blacks and whites had a great impact on the worldwide

Grace and restraint, two qualities largely absent from our current public discourse, are passionately exhibited in Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” Dr. King, jailed for participating in Birmingham protests, writes the letter in response to members of the local white clergy who have characterized his activities as “unwise and untimely” (paragraph 1). Beginning by explaining that he has traveled to Birmingham because it rife with injustice he proclaims, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (paragraph 4). Birmingham has proven itself to be a haven for segregation and racial brutality and his repeated attempts to negotiate with city leaders have been futile, leaving direct action or nonviolent protests