Compare And Contrast Malcolm X And Nelson Mandela

Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela were two influential figures that have both made a cultural impact on black history. The fact that their lives run parallel further stresses the significance of racial equality. However, they each influenced the world around them with their respective ideologies and beliefs. Their opinions and experiences differed in terms of equality and character throughout their movements. Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela both tried to achieve similar goals of equality but on different paths.
Nelson Mandela and Malcolm X were both fighters for equality, but they each had different views as to how people should be equal. Malcolm X was a Black Nationalist who wanted blacks to be equal with whites (in terms of power and equality) while at same time creating their own culture. He

One example would be that both of them were activists that fought against racial oppression. Both of them also learned and gained a new perspective on life after their respective prison experiences. While Malcolm learned how to read and write (X 633) at about an 8th grade level with no prior education, Nelson Mandela learned that “man’s goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished” (Mandela 734). They were both militant at one point in their lives to advance the movements in which they were involved. With these similarities, people could see the parallels of who they were as people.
In modern ages, there have been many problems in terms of racial and cultural division. To get past this stage, we need to learn from the lessons Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela tried to give us from their memoirs. From Malcolm X, the society can learn that through motivation, determination, and education, people can get to freedom. From Nelson Mandela, the people can learn that through love for one another, trial and error, and peaceful protests, we can change the society we live in, one step at a