How Malcolm X indirectly influenced the Civil Rights Act of 1964

At first glance, it would be hard even to consider Malcolm X a leader of the civil rights movement. This is because, quite simply, Malcolm X's activism was consistently at odds with what the movement, in its configuration, stood for. His involvement with the Nation of Islam (NOI), made Malcolm believe in self-defense, not to use direct violence, he thought that he should respond to the violence made by the whites with violence. This explains why he was such a critic of the Civil Rights Movement and King, who believed only in nonviolence. Malcolm X also believed in black separatism, which is the belief that African Americans do not belong to American society and that they should not rely on it. Malcolm, with a unique stance, indirectly influenced the Civil Rights Act by shaping the national conversation and increasing radical pressure on lawmakers.

The Black Muslims, despite supporting the movement, believed that it had almost achieved nothing amongst the African American community. In contrast according to the historian James Cone, a theologian and civil rights scholar, the media portrays Malcolm as a missionary of hate and violence, which might have hindered the cause. Malcolm's belief in black separatism caused him and the Black Muslims to criticize the movement more because they believed it was pointless unless black people didn't want to separate from the whites. After all, he believed if they continued together they would've never have equal rights. This criticism ended up supporting the Civil Rights Movement because people started to see the other sides of the black population that wanted rights but not in a pacific way, arguing that integration alone could not solve systemic racism and that African Americans should consider self-defense as a means to reaching their goals. 

Despite their opposition to the Act, the Black Power Movement's advocacy for rights still contributed to the awareness of whites and American society. The fear of the Black Muslims, sustained by their advocacy of self-defense, which was sometimes interpreted as an endorsement of violence, heightened tensions. The historian Timothy Tyson argues that the presence of the "self-defense” doctrine, from the Black Power movement, helped to set the stage for the acceptance of the Deacons For Defense and Justice, which is an organization to protect civil rights activists from the Ku Klux Klan. Since Malcolm X was one of its most prominent leaders, his attitude possibly led Kennedy to negotiate more with nonviolent protestors, such as King, as a way of preventing more radical elements from gaining greater influence or control over the movement.

The March on Washington in 1963 was criticized by Malcolm, primarily because he believed it was co-opted by the white establishment, particularly the federal government, which he distrusted since he saw the involvement of the Kennedy administration and other white liberal allies as an attempt to control and pacify the movement. This is made clear in his autobiography: "Yes, I was there. I observed that circus. (...) It was that “Farce on Washington,” I call it.". Malcolm's autobiography is compelling to this essay because it shows Malcolm's will to change segregationist federal laws, while not supporting the Civil Rights Movement. Malcolm also said that the march was an example of how the white forces turned the black people into puppets and the protest into a pep rally for Kennedy, which raised the attention of the white media, therefore, helping the bill to pass into Congress . The historian Manning Marable argues that Malcolm X's rhetoric appealed to those frustrated with nonviolence, spreading the Civil Rights Movement’s request, even if his direct influence on federal lawmakers was limited. His critique of the protest led to greater visibility of the cause and to people seeing that not all African Americans wanted to be pacifists, which pressured even more Kennedy. 

On April 3, 1964, Malcolm gave a very powerful speech known as "The Ballot or the Bullet", in which he emphasized the importance of the black vote to ensure the security of social justice and civil rights. In it, he famously says: “They get all the Negro vote, and after they get it, the Negro gets nothing in return. All they did when they got to Washington was give a few big Negroes big jobs. Those big Negroes didn't need big jobs, they already had jobs. That's camouflage, that's trickery, that's treachery, window-dressing.”. Malcolm addresses both the Democrats and Republicans for failing to deliver meaningful change to African Americans, despite their reliance on the Black vote. This rhetoric energized those frustrated with the slow pace of progress and inspired them to increase political involvement, particularly in the context of voter mobilization. Also, Malcolm X's ability to connect with working-class and younger African Americans who felt alienated by King’s more gentle approach expanded the movement’s reach and intensified demands for urgent change. According to the historian Clayborne Carson, in his book “Malcolm X: The FBI File” Malcolm X's critiques intensified the urgency for federal intervention, as lawmakers needed to prevent further radicalization of the movement. According to Malcolm, all actions taken by the government were to pacify African Americans rather than make significant change . This shows Malcolm X's influence on the passage of the Act by calling the African American community to action and criticizing the government for not taking more drastic actions, making federal lawmakers fear radical action, therefore making nonviolence more appealing to negotiate.  

Finally, Malcolm X had a decisive indirect role in this period as he had a self-defense policy; if people treated him with violence, he would respond with that same violence, which made people fear him. Also, he added critiques to manifestations organized by King, which could be considered new. His critique of the March on Washington was an important counterpoint to King’s strategy; by saying nonviolence is ineffective, Malcolm X presented a radical approach that indirectly made King's more acceptable to the public and federal lawmakers. After all, creating contrast in strategies may have accelerated governmental action by presenting King as a ‘reasonable’ leader in comparison to Malcolm X, who was more radical. If it weren't for Malcolm X’s critiques and speeches, the government probably wouldn't have felt the urgency to negotiate with King, since people feared he could do something outrageous. This accelerated the process of the government taking action and their willingness to solve the inequality problem.

By: Sophia Paiva

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Bibliography: 

 “Malcolm X Biography - Life, Family, Children, Name, Death, History, School, Mother, Young.” Notablebiographies.com, 2013, www.notablebiographies.com/Lo-Ma/Malcolm-X.html.

Cone, James H. “Martin and Malcolm on Nonviolence and Violence.” Phylon (1960-), vol. 49, no. 3/4, 2001, pp. 173–183, https://doi.org/10.2307/3132627.

Phelan, Joe. “Malcolm X: A Radical Vision for Civil Rights.” NEH-Edsitement, 5 May 2017, edsitement.neh.gov/closer-readings/malcolm-x-radical-vision-civil-rights. 

Tyson, Timothy B. “Robert F. Williams, “Black Power,” and the Roots of the African American Freedom Struggle.” The Journal of American History, vol. 85, no. 2, Sept. 1998, pp. 540–570, academic.oup.com/jah/article/85/2/540/822439, https://doi.org/10.2307/2567750.

Marable, Manning. Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention.

Haley, Alex. The Autobiography of Malcolm X.

Branch, Taylor. Parting the Waters : America in the King Years, 1954-63. New York, Simon And Schuster Paperbacks, 2006.

X, Malcolm. “The Ballot or the Bullet.” Edchange.org, 3 Apr. 1964, www.edchange.org/multicultural/speeches/malcolm_x_ballot.html. 

Carson, Clayborne, et al. Malcolm X : The FBI File. New York, Skyhorse Pub, 2012.