Martin Luther King Jr. in his later days did start to explore socialism; his views evolved and he understood that the main problem was not simply racism, it was capitalism.
"There must be a better distribution of wealth and maybe America must move toward a Democratic Socialism." – MLK 1966
“I am now convinced that the simplest approach will prove the most effective — the solution to poverty is to abolish it directly by a now widely discussed measure: the guaranteed income.”- MLK
“The dispossessed of this country — the poor, the white and Negro — live in a cruelly unjust society. They must organize a revolution against that injustice, not against the lives of the persons who are their fellow citizens, but against the structures through which society is refusing to take means which have been called for, and which are at hand, to lift the load of poverty.”-MLK
In early 1964 Malcolm X broke with the Nation of Islam. There were many reasons for this, but the most important was their abstention from the Black struggle for civil rights. The last few years of Malcolm’s life, he clearly understood that racism was a product of capitalism and the true fight was not a race issue but a class issue. Malcolm’s views were definitely evolving and he was not simply just a revolutionary, but leaning towards a socialist.
"You can't have capitalism without racism." He added that if you find someone who "makes you sure they do not have this racism in their outlook, usually they're socialists".
“It is impossible for capitalism to survive, primarily because the system of capitalism needs some blood to suck. Capitalism used to be like an eagle, but now it’s more like a vulture. It used to be strong enough to go and suck anybody’s blood whether they were strong or not. But now it has become more cowardly, like the vulture, and it can only suck the blood of the helpless. As the nations of the world free themselves, then capitalism has less victims, less to suck, and it becomes weaker and weaker. It’s only a matter of time in my opinion before it will collapse completely.”
"It is incorrect to classify the revolt of the Negro as simply a radical conflict of black against white or as a purely American problem. Rather, we are today seeing a global rebellion of the oppressed against the oppressor, the exploited against the exploiter."
"We, the Black masses, don't want these leaders who seek our support coming to us representing a certain political party. They must come to us today as Black Leaders representing the welfare of Black people. We won't follow any leader today who comes on the basis of political party. Both parties (Democrat and Republican) are controlled by the same people who have abused our rights, and who have deceived us with false promises every time an election rolls around."
"You have whites who are fed up. you have blacks who are fed up... When the day comes when the whites who are really fed up...learn how to establish the proper type of communication with those blacks who are fed up and they get some coordinated action going, you'll get some changes. And it will take both. it will take everything that you've got."
"It's impossible for a chicken to produce a duck egg. The system in this country cannot produce freedom for the Afro-American. It is impossible for this system, this economic system, this political system, this social system, this system period."
Asked what he thought was responsible for race prejudice in America, he responded: “Ignorance and greed. And a skillfully designed program of mis-education that goes right along with the American system of exploitation and oppression.”
Malcolm X’s political evolution in his last year was the reason he was killed.
Perhaps malcolm and King were both killed not because of there fight for equality, but because of the threat they posed to our very system. Just like what occured to the openly socialist, Black Panter Party.
"There must be a better distribution of wealth and maybe America must move toward a Democratic Socialism." – MLK 1966
“I am now convinced that the simplest approach will prove the most effective — the solution to poverty is to abolish it directly by a now widely discussed measure: the guaranteed income.”- MLK
“The dispossessed of this country — the poor, the white and Negro — live in a cruelly unjust society. They must organize a revolution against that injustice, not against the lives of the persons who are their fellow citizens, but against the structures through which society is refusing to take means which have been called for, and which are at hand, to lift the load of poverty.”-MLK
In early 1964 Malcolm X broke with the Nation of Islam. There were many reasons for this, but the most important was their abstention from the Black struggle for civil rights. The last few years of Malcolm’s life, he clearly understood that racism was a product of capitalism and the true fight was not a race issue but a class issue. Malcolm’s views were definitely evolving and he was not simply just a revolutionary, but leaning towards a socialist.
"You can't have capitalism without racism." He added that if you find someone who "makes you sure they do not have this racism in their outlook, usually they're socialists".
“It is impossible for capitalism to survive, primarily because the system of capitalism needs some blood to suck. Capitalism used to be like an eagle, but now it’s more like a vulture. It used to be strong enough to go and suck anybody’s blood whether they were strong or not. But now it has become more cowardly, like the vulture, and it can only suck the blood of the helpless. As the nations of the world free themselves, then capitalism has less victims, less to suck, and it becomes weaker and weaker. It’s only a matter of time in my opinion before it will collapse completely.”
"It is incorrect to classify the revolt of the Negro as simply a radical conflict of black against white or as a purely American problem. Rather, we are today seeing a global rebellion of the oppressed against the oppressor, the exploited against the exploiter."
"We, the Black masses, don't want these leaders who seek our support coming to us representing a certain political party. They must come to us today as Black Leaders representing the welfare of Black people. We won't follow any leader today who comes on the basis of political party. Both parties (Democrat and Republican) are controlled by the same people who have abused our rights, and who have deceived us with false promises every time an election rolls around."
"You have whites who are fed up. you have blacks who are fed up... When the day comes when the whites who are really fed up...learn how to establish the proper type of communication with those blacks who are fed up and they get some coordinated action going, you'll get some changes. And it will take both. it will take everything that you've got."
"It's impossible for a chicken to produce a duck egg. The system in this country cannot produce freedom for the Afro-American. It is impossible for this system, this economic system, this political system, this social system, this system period."
Asked what he thought was responsible for race prejudice in America, he responded: “Ignorance and greed. And a skillfully designed program of mis-education that goes right along with the American system of exploitation and oppression.”
Malcolm X’s political evolution in his last year was the reason he was killed.
Perhaps malcolm and King were both killed not because of there fight for equality, but because of the threat they posed to our very system. Just like what occured to the openly socialist, Black Panter Party.
