Compare and Contrast Martin Luther King and Malcolm X Free Essay Example, 1000 words

Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were both born in the United s and raised under Christian families. Born in 1925 in Ohama, Nebraska, Malcolm grew up by with parents who were being terrorized by the white supremacists, up to his 8th grade where he went to live with his half-sister. His father was a Baptist minister and a Marcus Garvey follower. His family has a long tenure in the ministry, serving as pastors of the Ebenezer Baptist Church. For his whole life, he served as a co-pastor. He did attend several schools and received B. A. degree from Morehouse College, a B. D. from Crozer Theological Seminary where he was class president in a class filled with whites. Martin also had a name change from Michael Luther King to Martin Luther King. Had a family comprising of his wife, two daughters, and two sons. He was a civil rights activist whose wish was to have white and black people live together in peace and harmony. He was a victim of assault for four times and put under arrest on mult iple times. We will write a custom essay sample on Compare and Contrast Martin Luther King and Malcolm X or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now When in Memphis, he was to lead a protest march that involved garbage workers who were on strike. However, he succumbed to death after a shooting. Religion was their core foundation for their leadership qualities. They both had unending love for their people and felt that change regarding their governance was imminent (Nelson, p. 6-12, 2012). Malcolm served time at a juvenile detention home when he was 13 years old. His school life was short lived and he took odd jobs, became a peddler and active in crime. When he was 20, he was arrested and sent to prison for 10 years. While in prison, he became a Muslim and changed his name to Malcolm X from Malcolm Little. He followed their lifestyle that condemned use of alcohol, smoking, and drugs. He also became an eloquent speaker and read philosophical, religious, and historic books. Malcolm advocated for the rise of the black people against their white oppressors who mistreated and used them to their liking. At first, Malcolm never considered himself an equal, but after going to Mecca for a pilgrimage, he changed his stand and considered himself equal. At the time of his assassination, he had four children and had his name change to El-Haji Malik El-Shabazz. They were both leaders of their people but they had different policies on how to confront the ‘white’ menace. Martin believed that the two races could sit down and have their differences sorted without any bloodshed. Malcolm thought otherwise, he believed the way forward was bloodshed.