A life with changing positions
Malcolm X’s public work changed across his break with the Nation of Islam, his travels, and the organizations he established afterward. The later period is central to the comparison with King.
← All discoveries
FIND MALCOLM X 01 — 02
01Explore The Sword and the Shield
02Explore The Audubon Ballroom
PEOPLE WORTH GETTING TO KNOW
Malcolm X
Human rights leader
The Shabazz Center preserves the legacies of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz at the historic Audubon Ballroom. Pair that place with Peniel E. Joseph’s dual biography to explore Malcolm’s changing ideas alongside those of Martin Luther King Jr.
The center connects that legacy to a place and a continuing educational mission. The book places his changing public life alongside King’s, opening a broader comparison.
A CLOSER LOOK
The story behind it.
A life and body of thought that changed over time.
A shared reading path
The Sword and the Shield brings Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. into one account, following their development rather than holding each to a single familiar image.
Sources for this closer look
The Shabazz Center (opens in a new tab)A GOOD PLACE TO BEGIN
If you only explore two things.
Book
The Sword and the Shield
Peniel E. Joseph
The connected, evolving lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.
Explore the book →Place
The Audubon Ballroom
Washington Heights · New York City
A historic gathering place, remembered through the Shabazz Center.
Explore this work →Sources & credits
Introductions are grounded in the sources below. Collection notes and reading prompts provide an editorial starting point; personal opinions are identified in the collection’s content.