Even fifty years after it was originally given, most Americans still know of Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic "I Have a Dream" speech. He gave this speech at the March on Washington of 1963, where thousands of black people marched to the nation's capital to show their support for the Civil Rights Act. King's main points in this speech are that black people need to come together, demonstrate peaceful protests, and remain hopeful that equality will come one day. In history, the "I Have a Dream" speech and the March on Washington of 1963 were remembered as being very popular and influential in the fight for racial equality. However, at the time, not everyone felt the same way. A few months after the March on Washington, another civil rights leader named Malcolm X gave a speech called "The Message to the Grassroots." This speech was X's response to the March on Washington and he expressed disdain for the entire event. He believed that King's ideas of peaceful protest were foolish and that the March on Washington was a joke. By examining "The Message to the Grassroots" speech, readers can learn more about the "I Have a Dream" speech, the March on Washington of 1963, and the civil rights movement as a whole.

In the "I Have a Dream" speech, King talks about how black people have been wronged by America and that they need to demand equality. He stresses that even though they need to continue making progress towards equality, they need to do so in a peaceful manner. He states, "We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence." Although Malcolm X also wanted racial equality, he had drastically different opinions on how it should be achieved. He believed that violent protests were the only way to achieve equality because all successful revolutions in the past were violent. In "The Message to the Grassroots," X says, "A revolution is bloody. Revolution is hostile. Revolution knows no compromise. Revolution overturns and destroys everything that gets in its way." 

Also, the two leaders did not share the same beliefs on how the black community should treat white people. Martin Luther King Jr. thought that the only way for equality to happen was for both races to join together and pursue the goal as one. In his speech he says, "The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny." Malcolm X, on the other hand, was far less trusting of white people. He believed that black people needed to join together and fight the white people if equality were ever going to be achieved. "And what we have foremost in common is that enemy   the white man. He's an enemy to all of us. I know some of you all think that some of them aren't enemies. Time will tell." He states in his speech. Although both Martin Luther King Kr. and Malcolm X are remembered as successful civil rights leaders, most people don't realize how different they were. Comparing the "I Have a Dream" speech with "The Message to the Grassroots" speech can help people understand the opposing philosophies the two leaders had. 

In "The Message to the Grassroots" speech, Malcolm X not only addresses King's "I Have a Dream" speech, but the March on Washington as a whole. According to History.com, "The march was an unprecedented success. More than 200,000 black and white Americans shared a joyous day of speeches, songs, and prayers led by a celebrated array of clergymen, civil rights leaders, politicians, and entertainers." X, however, did not agree that the march was a success. He thought that the march had the potential to make a lot of progress for the Civil Rights Movement, but white people got involved and it lost its power. "They [white people] joined it, became a part of it, took it over. And as they took it over, it lost its militancy It became a picnic, a circus." He states. X clearly believed that although thousands of black people joined together, they didn't accomplish anything because it was structured and peaceful, not demanding and violent. These beliefs show that although people remember the March on Washington of 1963 as a huge success, at the time there were many people who thought of it as a failure.

Malcolm X's "The Message to the Grassroots" speech discussed more than just the events at the March on Washington, but the Civil Rights Movement as a whole. In 1961, civil rights protestors came together with the goal to desegregate the city of Albany, Georgia. Rather than desegregation, hundreds of the protestors were thrown in jail (Albany Movement). Malcolm X explains how when civil rights leaders failed to desegregate the city, everyday people began to take action. "As they became fallen idols, began to lose their prestige and influence, local Negro leaders began to stir up the masses." He says. X goes on to talk about how this uprising of black people was the best progress the civil rights movement had made up to that point. He states, "It was the grass roots out there in the street. [It] scared the white man to death, scared the white power structure in Washington, D. C. to death; I was there." Then he explains how white people took over the uprising and took the power out of the hands of the grassroots and gave it to the Big Six, a group of civil rights leaders. X states, "But the white man put the Big Six [at the] head of it; made them the march. They became the march. They took it over." These historical events that Malcolm X mentions in his speech can help readers to understand the Civil Rights Movement.

When most people think about the Civil Rights Movement, the first things they think about may be the famous "I Have a Dream" speech by Martin Luther King Jr. or the March on Washington. These events were remembered because of their message of unity, hope, and peace. It can become easy for people to think that this may be what all of the Civil Rights Movement was like. However, there actually were civil rights leader who were greatly opposed to the "I Have a Dream" speech and the March on Washington of 1963. That is why it is important for people to read things like Malcolm X's "The Message to the Grassroots" speech. Although King and X both were civil rights leaders, their philosophies on how to gain equality were in opposition to each other. Reading Malcolm X's speech gives readers a different perspective on the March on Washington and King's philosophy of non-violent protest. X makes a good, clear argument that most readers don't think about when they think of civil rights leaders. Reading Malcolm X's "The Message to the Grassroots" speech gives people a better understanding of other events at the time and the entire Civil Rights Movement.

