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Martin Luther King Jr.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Malcolm X was an influential Black civil rights activist and Nation of Islam minister. Although he was originally an assimilationist and then an anti-white separatist, he became an antiracist at the height of his popularity in the early 1960s. Today, he’s often viewed as a militant, radical alternative to Martin Luther King Jr., but the truth is far more complicated. Reynolds and Kendi explain that he advocated self-defense, not violence, and he and Dr. King agreed on most major issues at the end of their lives, when both became antiracists. Even after his assassination in 1965, Malcolm X inspired the Black Power movement and activists like Angela Davis.
Malcolm X Quotes in Stamped
The Stamped quotes below are all either spoken by Malcolm X or refer to Malcolm X. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 21
Quotes
[Malcolm X’s] ideological transformation, from assimilationist to anti-White separatist to antiracist, inspired millions. He argued that though White people weren’t born racist, America was built to make them that way. And that if they wanted to fight against it, they had to address it with the other racist White people around them. He critiqued Black assimilationists. Called them puppets, especially the “leaders” who had exploited their own people to climb the White ladder. Malcolm X stamped that he was for truth—not hate—truth and truth alone, no matter where it was coming from. His autobiography would become antiracist scripture. It would become one of the most important books in American history.
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Get the entire Stamped LitChart as a printable PDF.
Malcolm X Quotes in Stamped
The Stamped quotes below are all either spoken by Malcolm X or refer to Malcolm X. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 21
Quotes
[Malcolm X’s] ideological transformation, from assimilationist to anti-White separatist to antiracist, inspired millions. He argued that though White people weren’t born racist, America was built to make them that way. And that if they wanted to fight against it, they had to address it with the other racist White people around them. He critiqued Black assimilationists. Called them puppets, especially the “leaders” who had exploited their own people to climb the White ladder. Malcolm X stamped that he was for truth—not hate—truth and truth alone, no matter where it was coming from. His autobiography would become antiracist scripture. It would become one of the most important books in American history.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
