Peter Ling
Jan 19, 2022

Glad you liked it. The Nation of Islam with Malcolm as its leading spokesman in the late 50s and early 60s strongly pursued black autonomy. Whites were "devils" and the focus was building separate institutions. The Black Panthers on the other hand were willing to link themselves to a leftist class analysis and hence to a multi-racial revolutionary coalition, although one in which blacks were also highly independent and alliances were pragmatic. But my main point is that King had good reason to mistrust white "people of good will" and he did. At the same time, he knew that white America had to be redeemed in order to advance justice.

Peter Ling
Peter Ling

Written by Peter Ling

Historian and biographer but thankfully with a sense of humour. Expert on MLK, JFK, the Civil Rights Movement, and presidential scandals.

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