Malcolm X, DuBois, and King: Civil Rights Philosophies Compared

Introduction: Malcolm X in Context

Malcolm X's contributions to the civil rights movement cannot be viewed in isolation, without taking into account his influences and the contextual variables that shaped him. By the time Malcolm X wrote his Autobiography, he had already developed a well-articulated and logical political philosophy. His influences, as stated in that work, include Marcus Garvey, from whom Malcolm X's father learned the ideas he then passed on to his son. It was Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam, however, that had the most formative personal influence on Malcolm X. Although he does not explicitly refer to W.E.B. DuBois, Booker T. Washington, or even much to his contemporary Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., these thinkers did exert some influence on Malcolm X by virtue of their great impact on American culture in general.

Malcolm X developed his political and social philosophies in light of the views and methods of King, DuBois, and Washington. While all of these prominent thinkers shared some core goals and hoped to see an America free of racism, their approaches and methods differed significantly. Malcolm X's conversion to Islam and his generally worldly point of view make him most like his predecessor W.E.B. DuBois. DuBois was, however, from a relatively privileged background compared to Malcolm X. Both men understood the phenomenon of institutionalized racism, and both were cynical about the possibility of achieving racial parity in a country that had proven itself unable to extinguish the flames of hatred even a hundred years after the Civil War ended. Although his views toward Black nationalism softened somewhat after he broke from Elijah Muhammad's group, Malcolm X remained committed to a model in which African Americans achieved self-empowerment and self-liberation without depending on the white dominant culture or its support systems.

DuBois vs. Washington: Two Visions of Civil Rights

A generation or two prior to Malcolm X, W.E.B. DuBois developed a cohesive sociology of race and class in America. Although DuBois's intellectualism was fostered in white institutions, his ideas were far more visionary than those of his contemporary Booker T. Washington. Washington's conciliatory approach to civil rights led to what can easily be called meaningless solutions — most notably the Atlanta Compromise, in which Washington essentially agreed to accept the social hierarchies that prevented African Americans from achieving upward social mobility, economic empowerment, and political empowerment. Whether because he was exhausted by the struggle or because he saw no other way forward, Washington's approach pleased and benefited whites far more than it did blacks.

Reacting against Washington, W.E.B. DuBois became an advocate of more thorough and thoughtful social change. DuBois directed his erudite education toward endeavors that exposed the close connections between race and social class in America. Booker T. Washington's model of vocational education for African Americans perpetuated the problem of institutionalized racism; by tracking African American students into the vocational sector, Washington was consigning his people to membership in the underclass for generations to come.

Malcolm X and the Legacy of DuBois

DuBois, by contrast, had reaped the benefits of a liberal arts education and understood that higher education at institutions like Harvard granted access to cultural capital as well as financial capital. Based on his understanding of sociological and political theory, DuBois proposed a more thorough overhaul of social and political institutions — one that would allow for genuine upward social mobility. Although Malcolm X had little experience with the ivory tower, his views more closely resemble those of W.E.B. DuBois than those of Booker T. Washington. Malcolm X would have found Washington's views and methods deeply frustrating.

Even Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. — whom Malcolm X considered too conciliatory toward whites — would have agreed that Booker T. Washington's approach did not go far enough in addressing the root causes of racism. Both Malcolm X and Dr. King came of age in a different era than DuBois and Washington. DuBois and Washington came of age during Reconstruction: DuBois recognized that Reconstruction was a farce, while Washington accepted things as they were. By the time Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X came of age, it was obvious that Reconstruction had failed and that far more needed to be done to achieve meaningful civil rights.

Whereas Dr. Martin Luther King believed in the potential for integration and reconciliation, Malcolm X had largely traded that dream for a more radical vision of the future. Just as W.E.B. DuBois advocated for Pan-Africanism in a postcolonial world, Malcolm X advocated for pan-African Americanism in a post-Reconstruction, post-Jim Crow world. Self-determination was the cornerstone of both men's philosophies.

Conclusion: A Shared Vision Across Generations

In spite of their vastly different upbringings and their being raised in different historical epochs, Malcolm X and W.E.B. DuBois shared much in common in terms of worldview and mentality. Malcolm X, however, wrote from the perspective of a self-described street urchin. DuBois came from a cultured background, but he never allowed his higher education in the bleached ivory towers to prevent him from devoting his resources to understanding the sociology of racism and the "souls of black folk." In this sense, Malcolm X brought most of DuBois's ideas into popular culture — translating a scholar's framework into the language and lived experience of a new generation, and ensuring that those ideas remained vital and urgent in the ongoing struggle for civil rights.

Works Cited

King, Martin Luther, Jr. "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." Retrieved online: http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html

Malcolm X. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Digital version: http://autobiography-of-malcolm-x.wikispaces.com/14_black_muslims