Chapter 2: The Making of a Bad Nigger (1925-52) Summary and Analysis

Malcolm X is known for his unparalleled ability to point out the injustice committed against African-Americans. He always sought to tell the truth about the relationships between blacks and whites in the United States and the world. Unlike King, he did not have a university education; he came from the "bottom" of black society, not from the middle class. X rejected integration and wanted to affirm his blackness over and against his American identity.

X saw American society from the perspective of "black masses living at the bottom of the social heap." Concerning the March on Washington, Malcolm X quipped, "While King was having a dream, the rest of us Negroes are having a nightmare." (39) Malcolm X's heritage has often been distorted by King's followers, who saw...