Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. were two political activists who participated in the civil rights movement and fought for equal rights for African Americans and white Americans.
Another commonality between the two was the fact that they were both assassinated. Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21, 1965 in New York. He was targeted by a member of the Nation of Islam, a black supremacist organization he had belonged to. On the other hand, Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis.
Upon their deaths, the immediate reaction of people was absolute shock. Many refused to believe the news, and they saw it as a direct affront to the civil rights movement. The movement continued, with many people maintaining the divisions that had been common between the two characters. However, as time passed, people eventually began to see both of them as integral parts of the movement for equal rights in the United States.
