by Ethel Jean Grubbs

Created on: February 05, 2008

Martin Luther King Jr. a "Leader", Malcolm X a "Extremist". Does, Martin Luther's legacy differ from Malcolm's legacy or are they one in the same? When, viewing these two men lives, we can see the magnificent influence and impact they had on improving the quality of humanity. Malcolm and Martin had a passion for speaking what was on their minds, no matter if it went against the grain of a racist society. Malcolm X was four years older than Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm also started his advocacy two years prior to Martin. However, both men arrived at the same pivotal moment in time, which sculpted African Americans lives forever.

Malcolm X:

Malcolm Little was born on May 19, 1925, he suffered from a devastating childhood which lead to his father being brutally murdered by the Ku Klux Klan. Earl Little, Malcolm's father, was a Baptist minister who fought for the equality of justice on behalf of the colored people. Malcolm admired his father for being a well known civil rights activist and for being a pillar to his family and community. Unfortunately, in 1929, Malcolm's strong family structure was jilted when members of a white supremacist organization called Black Legion decided that the Little's household was not worth valuing. Louise Norton Little was destroyed by her husband's death and she was committed to a mental hospital. Malcolm and his seven sibling were forced to live with strangers in various foster homes. Malcolm managed to graduate from West Junior High School at the top of his class. However, Malcolm was deterred from achieving his high school diploma when his English Teacher told him that a nigger using his brain as a profession was unrealistic.

Marin Luther King Jr. :

Michael King was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta Georgia. Michael King senior changed both their names to Martin in the 1930s. King Jr. and his sibling grew up in a financially secure middle class environment and their parents instilled in them the value of colored people getting an education. Martin King Sr. was a Baptist Preacher who enforced that racial discrimination was a strike against humanity. As a result, of Martin Luther's father being involved in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), he began to realize how unbalanced equal rights were. Although, as a child, Martin Jr. had a stable family foundation he still had to endure the harsh reality from the residue of slavery. Alberta Christine Williams , Martin Luther King's mom , was a

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