To Kill a Black ManLouis E. Lomax's "To Kill a Black Man" addresses the social and political dimensions of Malcolm's moral perspective. Many Americans believe that Malcolm X and King occupied violently opposed ethical universes, that their positions on the best solution to this country's racial crisis led them to a permanent parting of paths. More likely, though, they were the yin and yang of black moral responses to white racism, complementing more than contradicting each other in their last years. King began in 1966 to emphasize black pride, explore the virtues of "temporary segregation" to foster the economic health of black communities, and became more radical about the limits of social protest. And Malcolm X for his part became publicly political, acknowledged the militancy of integrationists, and even encouraged voter registration. Although King and Malcolm X met only once for a brief moment -- resulting in the famed photo of both figures smiling broadly at the Capitol in 1964 -- Malcolm did journey to Selma, Ala., in 1965 when King was in jail, to speak to civil rights workers before leaving for London. His remarks on that occasion to Coretta King -- less than a month before his death -- reveal his poignant awareness and acceptance of the distinct roles he and King played in the black freedom movement. "I want Dr. King to know that I didn't come to Selma to make his job difficult," he said. "I really did come thinking I could make it easier. If the white people realize what the alternative is, perhaps they will be more willing to hear Dr. King." "To Kill a Black Man," written in the torturous aftermath of King's assassination in 1968, has all the virtues of historical immediacy -- impassioned narration, proximity to the feeling of the moment with unvarnished insight |
