"The Meeting" poses unique question during MLK week
Staff Writer
What if two of the most renowned African-American civil rights leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, had the chance to meet before they were assassinated? What would they have said to each other?
These questions and more were explored when the Pin Points Theatre group brought their production of “The Meeting” to the Heritage Center on January 19th as part of the College’s Martin Luther King Jr. week of events.
“The Meeting” perfectly captures an event that never happened, but that could have taken place between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King.
The play takes place at a New York City hotel room in 1965 where Malcolm X is in hiding after a his home was fire-bombed, only a week before he will be assassinated on Feb. 21st. King will also meet the same fate three years later in Memphis.
In terms of background and education, King and Malcolm X were com-plete opposites. King was raised by a respected Baptist minister, and he went on to receive his Ph.D. from Boston University. Malcolm X, on the other hand, had a tumultuous childhood. His father was murdered when he was very young, and his mother was insti-tutionalized. He taught himself how to read and write while in prison for burglary, and he converted to the Black Muslim faith after he was released. King preached a non-violent means of resistance, while Malcolm X advocated “freedom by any means necessary.”
How could have two people with such different backgrounds and viewpoints striving for a similar goal agreed on anything? The differences between Malcolm X’s and King’s beliefs proved to be the main strength of “The Meeting.” The constant arguing between them set the action for the play. When King argued for non-violence, Malcolm X lashed back with criticism, and King did the same back.
For those who knew little about King and Malcolm X’s views, “The Meeting” went right to the heart of their beliefs. “It really opened my eyes,” said Christina Jensen (07). “I hadn’t known that Malcolm X was on the violent side of things.”
When Malcolm X and King couldn’t reach agreement through argument, they arm wrestled. The two arm wres-tling matches they engage in eventually end in a draw, with no winner.
The two characters shift from a feel-ing of mistrust of each other to one of understanding. This is evident in a particularly moving scene toward the end. King gives Malcolm X a gift of a doll for his daughter, but it is from King’s own daughter who was worried when she heard about the firebombing.
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