Rosa Parks And Malcolm X's Friendship Explained

According to The Christian Science Monitor, King admired Parks and wrote "She was a charming person with a radiant personality, soft-spoken and calm in all situations." The feeling was mutual as Biography states that Parks agreed with King's conviction that equality could be achieved without using violence. However, Parks was also not opposed to fighting back. For this reason, The Washington Post writes that she viewed Malcolm X as a hero. He famously said in a 1964 speech that African Americans should "protect themselves by whatever means necessary." Although Parks has continually been described by others as "quiet," it seems her perceived demureness belied steely determination.

Per the HuffPost, Parks had the same sentiments as Malcolm X and was an advocate for self-defense. The publication adds that there were several moments in Parks' life that led her to this belief. When a white child pushed her, she pushed him back. Later, a white man threatened to hurt her, and Parks grabbed a brick to intimate him. Another article from The Washington Post states that her grandfather would stay up all night to protect the family from the KKK. Of this, she said, "I wanted to see him kill a Ku-Kluxer." She also divulged (via The Washington Post), "I would rather be lynched than live to be mistreated and not be allowed to say 'I don't like it.' "