The Teaching and Teachings of Booker T. Washington and Malcolm X

    Booker T. Washington and Malcolm X both distinguish themselves as self-made African American men who rose from treacherous beginnings to become influential figures in the fight for social equality. Having began their lives at the bottom of society, both men found their self-worth through their shared pursuit of education in severely limiting circumstances. As they discovered their own senses of pride, they grew critical of White society's systemic abuse of Black people. Washington sought a post-slavery society in which African Americans could freely enter the workforce and find purpose through meaningful industrial work. Malcolm X was a prominent Black nationalist who was active during the Civil Rights Movement, promoting ideas more radical than those of Washington. Originally born Malcolm Little, the "X" in his name represents the African surname he was deprived of. Instead of seeking integration into White-only institutions, he argued that Black people needed more pride in their identity and full control over their social involvement. 

    Washington was born into slavery in the 1850s and worked as a slave throughout his early childhood. After moving to West Virginia at age 9, he worked long hours in mines, where he encountered numbers and words he could not comprehend, igniting his desire to learn to read. He writes that, "I recall I had an intense longing to learn to read. I determined, when quite a small child, that, if I accomplished nothing else in life, I would in some way get enough education to enable me to read common books and newspapers" (Washington 19). After arguing with his parents, he was permitted to attend a day school that was "some distance from the furnace" (Washington 22). He attended the school alongside the long hours he worked in the mines, all while facing a lack of familiarity with the customs of school. Nevertheless, he remained steadfast in pursuing education: "Often I would have to walk several miles at night in order to recite my night-school lessons. There was never a time in my youth, no matter how dark and discouraging the days might be, when one resolve did not continually remain with me, and that was a determination to secure an education at any cost" (Washington 26). These anecdotes illustrate a defining characteristic of Washington's story: optimism. While acknowledging his harsh experiences, he places stronger emphasis on the positive change he was able to create. In doing so, he promotes the idea of autonomy that is inherent to everyone. Rather than letting their circumstances demoralize them, he urges his fellow African Americans to discover their worth through recognizing and capitalizing on what little they have. During his address at the Atlanta Exposition in 1895, he states these ideas explicitly through urging each African American to "Cast down your bucket where you are," meaning to make the most of their opportunities and find purpose through serving society in any way possible (Washington 152).

    Malcolm X was born in Nebraska in 1925, several decades after Washington was born. His father, also a Black nationalist, was murdered by White people, setting in motion the family's collapse and Malcolm's resentment of White society. When Malcolm was arrested for burglary in 1946, he was sent to prison, which was a highly influential period of his life. Seemingly at his lowest point in life, he was drawn to the prison library and the idea of education. His ensuing pursuit of education was transformational, shaping him into the intelligent figure he became known as. In Malcolm X's autobiography, he wrote that, "Many who today hear me somewhere in person, or on television, or those who read something I've said, will think I went to school far beyond the eighth grade. This impression is entirely due to my prison studies. It had really begun in the Charleston Prison, when Bimbi first made me feel envy of his stock of knowledge" (Malcolm X, 1862). Much like Washington, seeing the power of education in others inspired him to seek out knowledge for himself, even in limiting circumstances. Unlike Washington, however, he already possessed rudimentary knowledge from his education up to middle school, and instead focused on educating himself more broadly. When describing his reading, he explains that "Available on the prison library's shelves were books on just about every general subject... No university would ask any student to devour literature as I did when this new world opened up to me, of being able to read and understand" (Malcolm X, 1863). By this point in his life, Malcolm X has already experienced the world, and therefore being able to better understand his experiences appealed to him in a way that differed from Washington's education. Washington was young, inexperienced, and nearly clueless when he began his education, motivated by the desire to finally learn something that superseded his mundane life, a set of circumstances not shared by Malcolm X.          

    The self-made education and overcoming of hardships are defining experiences in the lives of Booker T. Washington and Malcolm X, yet their resulting impact on each figure differ dramatically. During their careers, the two sought to achieve social justice through vastly different approaches. Washington's push for integrating into society to achieve success, even if that meant accepting a low position, is entirely opposite to Malcolm X's philosophy of Black pride and reinvention of the social system. Malcolm X strove to uplift his fellow African Americans by encouraging them to reach for more than they were given, a sharp contrast to the messages of Washington. These beliefs trace back to their educations; while Washington found a place for himself in society through seeking out a traditional path, Malcolm X undertook entirely independent studies during his punishment sentence that sparked his rejection of society. The two characters follow paths that share many parallels, though their different circumstances and motivations paved the way for significantly different viewpoints.