ABSTRACT
One of the most important figures in the African-American struggle for social justice, Malcolm X helped to instill a sense of pride among African Americans and influenced the militant black nationalist movement from the 1960s to the present. A gifted speaker, Malcolm X became the voice of the Nation of Islam, gaining national prominence. However, he began to develop doubts about the conservative nature of the Nation and its lack of political activism. Malcolm X's strident views on whites and advocacy of black separatism, and particularly his call for blacks to renounce nonviolence, contrasted with King's nonviolent civil disobedience. King's advocacy of passive resistance was more acceptable to the white establishment, thus, perhaps contributing to some of the successes of the early civil rights movement. In the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, African-American studies programs on college campuses and community control organizations pushing for more political and economic power in black neighborhoods also claimed to be promoting Malcolm's ideas.
