1. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X
Civil Rights Activists

2. Basic Views of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Preached the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi
Non-violence, least resistance
Believed in equality of the races; unity of all people
“The time is always right to do what is right.” – MLK, Jr.

3. Basic Views of Malcolm X
Rejected both integration and racial equality
Called for separation, black pride and self- dependence
Preached force and violence
“by any means necessary”

4. Childhood Martin Luther King, Jr. Malcolm X
Born – Michael Luther King, Jr. on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, GA
Booker T. Washington High School
Early admission to Morehouse College in 1944 at age 15
Received his PhD. In Systematic Theology from Boston University in 1955, age of 26
Born – Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, NE
Grew up in Lansing, MI after family home burned by KKK
Father murdered in 1931
Mother put into a mental hospital in 1939
Spent youth in detention homes
Moved in with sister in Boston

5. Timeline for Malcolm X
1946 – arrested and imprisoned for burglary in MA; embraces ideas of Black Muslim faith (Nation of Islam) and converts

6. Read and copied dictionary; read extensively
Released in 1952; takes name Malcolm X to rid himself of his slave name
Meets Elijah Muhammad, the current leader of the Black Muslims
Malcolm X becomes their most popular speaker
Video clip:

7. Dec. 1963 - Suspended for comments made regarding death of John F
Dec Suspended for comments made regarding death of John F. Kennedy
March, 1964 – Malcolm X leaves Nation of Islam, starts Muslim Mosque, Inc.

8. Malcolm X makes holy pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca (western city in Saudi Arabia)
Realizes Muslims are all races; united by common beliefs

9. Assassination of Malcolm X
February 21, 1965 – Malcolm X is killed at a rally in New York City; three Black Muslims are convicted for the murder

10. Timeline for Martin Luther King, Jr.
1955 – elected president of Montgomery Improvement Association – helped with the bus boycott

11. Arrested in Alabama
April, 1963 – arrested for protesting. Wrote about his concerns and criticized the pace of justice of civil rights for Black Americans in “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”

12. “I Have a Dream”
August 28, 1963 – after meeting with President John F. Kennedy, King delivers the “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to an estimated 250,000

13. King earns the Nobel Peace Prize
1964 – for his efforts; prize money ($54,600) turned over to further the movement

14. Assassination of King
April 4, 1968 – on a balcony at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN
Killed by James Earl Ray