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'Are you a Malcolm or a Martin?'

Savannah Kuchar ,  Phillip M. Bailey   Paste BN

Hi there − I'm Savannah Kuchar, Congress and Campaigns reporter, and one of two new authors of This Is America, a newsletter about justice and society in our country. I'll be writing to you along with my colleague and Paste BN Chief Political Correspondent Phillip M. Bailey.

I'm kicking off our inaugural message to your inbox with a tidbit from a recent conversation I had with two civil rights leaders who have a last name you may have heard before — King.

Last week, I caught up (virtually) with Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King, his wife and an activist in her own right, to talk about their recent work and the legacy they hope to leave as members of a famed family.

(And no, we did not discuss the impending release of FBI files on King’s father, ordered by President Trump. The family remains silent on a matter they say is deeply personal to them.) 

It so happened our call fell on the 100th birthday of another prominent Civil Rights Era figure, Malcolm X, who is so often held up against MLK Jr.

Here's what they had to say that caught my attention:

  • "There's almost this continuing conversation: Are you a Malcolm or a Martin?" Waters King said.
  • Yet, she said, "At their core, they both were for, not only Black liberation, but the liberation and upliftment of all humanity."
  • King said, "I think that Dad and Malcolm X certainly perhaps would be even closer today."

To read more of our conversation, including how the Kings say they are carrying on the work of social justice under the Trump administration, read here.

Stories of identity in America we're reading right now

A pivotal moment for police accountability

That question Savannah offered up − "Malcolm or Martin?" − is one that remains prescient as progressive-minded voters reflect on how racial minorities tackle police accountability. Phillip M. Bailey here!

Following Memorial Day weekend, much of the nation's attention was drawn to the anniversary of George Floyd's murder and how much Trump 2.0 has changed the narrative about the summer of 2020. Floyd, an unarmed 46-year-old Black man, became the face of police violence after a viral video showed Minneapolis police officer Dereck Chauvin kneeling on his neck for 9 minutes 29 seconds.

  • The most powerful example came a week ago when the U.S. Justice Department abandoned consent decrees in Minneapolis and Louisville (where 26-year-old Breonna Taylor was killed five years ago, as well).
  • Trump's allies are cheering, saying local cops and their communities know better than federal prosecutors and judges on how to fix local law enforcement. But other experts and voters who spoke with Paste BN are analyzing what this could mean, especially for Black and indigenous Americans.
  • Another signal this debate has swung in law enforcement's favor? Trump has pardoned officers involved in controversial cases, and he's being asked to do the same in the Floyd and Taylor cases.

Thanks for reading with us! We'll be back next week with more stories of belonging and diversity from across the country. In the meantime, find us on social @SavannahKuchar and @phillipmbailey.

Have thoughts on this newsletter? We'd love to hear from you. Email SKuchar@usatoday.com and PBailey@usatoday.com with ideas and comments.

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