Malcolm X's Critique of Martin Luther King Jr.

The position that I will sketch below is that Malcolm X's criticism of Martin Luther King Jr.'s non-violent strategy was correct, but his charge that Martin was an "Uncle Tom" was incorrect.

Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr. and "Grandfather" Nelson Mandela

One thing we have to bear in mind for both Malcolm and Martin is that their ideas were evolving (no, that doesn't mean that Malcolm fell in love with white people). When Malcolm leveled these charges against King he was speaking as a representative of the Nation of Islam. The NOI had an official policy of disengagement with the civil rights movement, thus his critique is very harsh.

I elaborate on a few points below.

Non-violence
Malcolm was correct about non-violence as a political ideology. To insist on non-violence as a matter of principle is suicidal. Non-violence only makes sense as a tactic that can be changed if the situation dictates. I just came back from a panel discussion on Civil Rights and Black Power. One of the panelists explained that there were courageous, committed, intelligent southerners who believed that marching through the Deep South whilst rejecting self-defense would "get people killed."

Deep South:
Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina

Some activist-minded southerners with this view opted to join the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee which had, in their view, a more feasible plan that included strategies like voter registration and sit-ins.

Uncle Tom
Malcolm was incorrect about MLK being an "Uncle Tom." The US government considered King to be a threat to the status quo. They kept him under constant surveillance. After Malcolm was forced out of the NOI he began reaching out Civil Rights leaders, including MLK. There is strong evidence that MLK and Malcolm would have eventually joined forces. MLK's position had become so radical--for example, speaking out against the vietnam war and advocating for a redistribution of America's wealth--that even his inner circle sharply criticized him. And while Malcolm was in the NOI he was already starting to articulate his ideas for a "Black United Front." Here is an excerpt from his famous speech Ballot or the Bullet which captures his evolving position well (Malcolm X announced his split with the Nation of Islam in March of 1964. The BOB speech was delivered in Detroit about a month later in early April of 1964):

Shirley Graham Du Bois and Malcolm X
in Accra, Ghana 

"Now in speaking like this, it doesn't mean that we're anti-white, but it does mean we're anti-exploitation, we're anti-degradation, we're anti-oppression. And if the white man doesn't want us to be anti-him, let him stop oppressing and exploiting and degrading us. Whether we are Christians or Muslims or nationalists or agnostics or atheists, we must first learn to forget our differences. If we have differences, let us differ in the closet; when we come out in front, let us not have anything to argue about until we get finished arguing with the man. If the late President Kennedy could get together with Khrushchev and exchange some wheat, we certainly have more in common with each other than Kennedy and Khrushchev had with each other."

You can read the entire speech here or listen to the speech here.

Malcolm X was far more dangerous outside of the Nation of Islam than he had ever been inside the Nation of Islam. He was touring the Middle East and Africa [use keyword "ghana" in search box] garnering support for the Black Freedom Movement and planning on charging the United States government with genocide at the United Nations.                                                                      

Betty Shabazz and Coretta Scott King

"There is abundant evidence of a major high level conspiracy in the assassination of my husband, Martin Luther King, Jr. And the civil court's unanimous verdict has validated our belief. I wholeheartedly applaud the verdict of the jury and I feel that justice has been well served in their deliberations."  Coretta Scott King

In the end both Malcolm and Martin were killed by the US government either directly or indirectly.

tags: Malcolm X, martin luther king jr., betty shabazz, coretta scott king