In Advocacy for Racial Uplift: Booker T. Washington and Malcolm X's Contrasting Political Views Explained Through Autobiographical Evidence

Charlotte Lin

The autobiographies of Booker T. Washington and Malcolm X revealed stark contrasts between two prominent perspectives on paths to achieve racial uplift. Differences included Washington’s promotion of a gradual transition using cooperative adaptation and Malcolm X’s urgent need for radical change, justifying Black separatism as a form of self-defense. Education was another point of disagreement as well, comparing Washington’s advocacy for industrial/vocational education and Malcolm X’s self-educated moral awakening. These drastically different viewpoints were heavily dependent on each figure’s experiences, with Washington’s life course resulting in consistent core beliefs. On the other hand, Malcolm X’s intellectual, moral, and religious evolution produced a strong sense of self and shaped his personal beliefs of empowerment and pride.

Paying attention to the upbringings of Washington and X, we can derive the basis of their core beliefs and methods of approaching change from personal experiences that shaped their personalities. Booker T. Washington was born into slavery; however, he was very near abolition, and his personal experience was considered less terrible than what many others experienced, as he personally claims that his owners were not “especially cruel … as compared with many others” (Washington, 1). While Washington acknowledged living in poor conditions when he was in slavery, he was not abused, and he was consistently surrounded by family. He described one of his worst experiences as being forced to wear a flax shirt; though, his older brother “generously agreed to put it on in my [his] stead and wear it for several days, till it was ‘broken in’”(8). Not only is it telling that he could “scarcely imagine any torture, except, perhaps, the pulling of a tooth, that is equal to that caused by putting on a new flax shirt for the first time” (8), but his mildness towards slavery and complete lack of bitterness or resentment support his view of collaboration and acceptance of his place in society. He also received support from his family being present, actively alleviating his pains, and providing sympathy and encouragement for his educational endeavors; “My mother sympathized with me in my disappointment, and sought to comfort me in all the ways she could, and to help me find a way to learn” (21). Washington’s perseverance in seeking education also eventually led him to academic success, which would support his belief in the importance of patience. He also claimed to blame no one, believing everyone was an “unfortunate victim of the institution” (2). Further evidence of Washington’s lack of resentment includes his claim that “In order to defend and protect the women and children who were left on the plantations when the white males went to war, the slaves would have laid down their lives…members of my race entertain no feelings of bitterness against the whites before and during the war” (9). All of these factors support why Washington would push for a gradual and collective change, as well as industrial education, because he drew evidence from his past successes of collaborative perseverance and vocational learning, believed he represented his entire race (or at least did not thoroughly consider possibilities otherwise), and had faith in the souls of others since his sufferings in slavery were not notably severe.

While Malcolm X did not experience slavery firsthand, his childhood traumas and later self-education shaped strong beliefs that stemmed from Black separatism, nationalism, and a hatred towards the white race. His father was murdered by “resentful whites”, and his widowed, overloaded mother, in a system built against Black people, suffered mentally, and their family fell apart (X, 1859). The unraveling of X’s family left him with little support, largely contrasting with Washington’s experience. Astray into a life of crime that ended up in incarceration, X experienced a unique exploration of self-identity that was entirely self-educated. By spending his surplus of stagnant prison time learning to read, write, and educate himself, he discovered the Nation of Islam and underwent an intellectual and moral awakening. In comparison to Washington, whose beliefs and sense of self-identity remained consistent throughout his life, Malcolm X's unconventional route to self-education ended up transforming his view on life and of self-perception. The effects on his identity can be seen by his extensive reading of historical literature, where he learned about slavery, saying, “I never will forget how shocked I was when I began reading about slavery’s total horror” (1865).  

His continued research exposed him to the deep-rooted Black history that exists, introducing a new depth to his self-identity and cultural pride he had never known. However, he also learned about the patterns of white oppression, expressing that “Book after book showed me [him] how the white man had brought upon the world’s black, brown, red, and yellow peoples every variety of the sufferings of exploitation” (1866). The repeated dominance of white supremacy, in addition to the repression of black people, furthered X’s hatred as he said, “the white man is the devil” (1871). The lack of education and awareness of black history infuriated X, saying, “It’s a crime, the lie that has been told to a generation of black men and white men both. Little innocent black children, born of parents who believed that their race had no history. Little black children seeing, before they could talk, that their parents considered themselves inferior … ashamed of being black,” however, he ends with “But the truth is pouring out now,” inferring his newfound knowledge and cultural pride. Knowing this disservice had been progressing for so long, X showed urgency in the need for radical change, and differed from Washington’s patient, moderate seeking of racial uplift and integration. Malcolm X, on another level of contradiction, also advocated for Black separatism, not integration, which makes sense given his heavily demonstrated unforgiveness towards white people. As Malcolm X learned about African history, a sense of Black superiority also arose, saying he would “send a bunch of black students off digging in Africa for more, more and more proof of the black race’s historical greatness … practically every week, we read about some great new find from Africa’s lost civilizations. All that’s new is the white science’s attitude … history has been so ‘whitened’ by the white man … the ancient civilizations of the black man have been buried on the Black Continent all the time” (1869). X admitted that during his early life in prison, he disliked other black convicts over white men, but after learning Elijah Muhammad’s teachings and educating himself on black history, he felt immense shame. Taking accountability for the feelings of guilt motivated Malcolm X to share what he had learned, saying he “began to catch every chance I [he] could to recruit for Mr. Muhammad” (1870). 

The radical transformation of Malcolm X shaped his advocacy for an equally radical movement, but on a much larger scale. Conversely, Washington’s gradual climb to success furthered his emphasis on incremental steps towards collective progress. Malcolm X’s autobiography demonstrated heavy turbulence throughout his life, which shaped his political beliefs and ambitious drive for extreme radical transformations. His form of self-guided education and the abundance of time allowed his discovery of extensive black history, learning about his own culture, and further understanding the incredible disservice that has been done to black people. While Booker T. Washington was also well educated, his autobiography proved a much more consistent path, leading to a steadier and optimistic perspective on racial uplift as a gradual shift. Although both black advocates shared a goal of overall racial uplift, their opinions on the urgency and method of achieving that goal widely differed due to unique life experiences that shaped their politically significant beliefs.