Beyond the dream: 7 lesser-known facts about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
3. King held a negative opinion of Malcolm X
King and Malcolm X have oftentimes been grouped together, most likely because they had a common enemy in white supremacy.
Yet the two charismatic and influential activists were hardly on the same page when it came to each other, especially regarding tactics and ethics.
In Chapter 25 of his autobiography, King noted that he had met Malcolm X briefly at one point in Washington but found the Nation of Islam member disagreeable.
"I totally disagree with many of his political and philosophical views — at least insofar as I understand where he now stands," wrote King.
"I feel that Malcolm has done himself and our people a great disservice. Fiery, demagogic oratory in the black ghettos, urging Negroes to arm themselves and prepare to engage in violence, as he has done, can reap nothing but grief."
Given that Malcolm X called the famous March on Washington for jobs and freedom the "Farce on Washington" and called King "Rev. Dr. Chicken-wing," the feeling of disagreeableness might have been mutual.
