Malcolm and Martin, closer than we ever thought

Though the men met only once, they had been portrayed as foes in the minds of the American public for years.



Despite their differences, both King and Malcolm X's political activism flowed from the same source, says Pitney, a civil rights scholar.

"They were fundamentally spiritual men," Pitney says. "While we remember them for their social and political activism, they were religious and spiritual at their core."

Both were 39 at the time of their death. Both had been abandoned by former supporters. And both left virtually no money to their wives and young children because they refused to profit from their activism.

Read more here: Malcolm and Martin, closer than we ever thought

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