The two civil rights leaders came together at the end of their lives. What might have happened had they met earlier?
Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X briefly meet after King's press conference at the U.S. Capitol, where the Senate was debating the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It was the first—and only—time the two civil rights legends met.
Malcolm, meanwhile, was at a crossroads. Earlier that month, he’d been forced out of the Nation of Islam, a Black nationalist organization whose membership he’d drastically increased. Free from its restrictions, Malcolm had recently formedAfter they exchanged greetings, Malcolm told King, “I’m throwing myself into the heart of the civil rights cause.”
Malcolm saw King’s rising star—and their potential together—and wanted King to see firsthand what the NOI was all about. Over the course of the next few months, Malcolm twice invited King to join him at rallies. Malcolm still didn’t believe in nonviolence, but he was changing. He was willing to consider nonviolence unless violence was used against him. He was willing to let white people “help us but not join.” Most importantly, he wanted Black civil rights leaders to forget their differences.
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