MLK Day is for commemoration, not compairson

Every year, the nation takes a day out to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the indelible mark he life in this world. We celebrate his life work and share his words amongst each other and through mediums like the internet. MLK Day is one of the few holidays that thrives on inspiration rather consumerism. Although I enjoy and promote the positive message of this holiday, there is one thing that I just can't stand.

For some reason, some people use MLK day as an excuse to compare Dr. King to Malcolm X and not only do they compare them, they choose one they "prefer". As an African American studies student, I see nothing wrong with discussing the life and words of both of these men but I would rather these discussions be informed. Instead, I see contests. I see Malcolm X painted as an angry thug that just wanted to fight white people. I see people refer to Dr.King as an "Uncle Tom" and called passive. Seeing these two men portrayed in such a manner disappoints me. It also worries me. Based on those observations and countless others, I have been lead to believe that people have distorted and cheapened the work of both of these men.

Yes, they disagreed on certain things but that doesn't take away from the fact that they had a common goal. They wanted to see their people free and I doubt they had a vision of a bunch of petty fights about who used better methods. Malcolm X did say that he wanted to achieve his goal "by any means necessary."

 But, he also said "The goal has always been the same, with the approaches to it as different as mine and Dr. Martin Luther King's non-violent marching, that dramatizes the brutality and the evil of the white man against defenseless blacks…it is anybody's guess which of the "extremes" in approach to the black man's problems might personally meet a fatal catastrophe first -- "non-violent" Dr. King, or so-called "violent" me."

He acknowledged that Dr. King and him had different views on how to achieve freedom but they had the same goal. I'm certain Dr. King wasn't too fond of some of Malcolm X's suggestions for retaliation but he didn't dwell on it. He just did what he thought was right. I think we should follow their lead and try to learn from their work and read their words. There is not  anything wrong with being inspired by Malcolm X's autobiography while nodding your head at Dr. King's Letters From A Birmingham Jail.