Despite what King said about judging people by the content of their character, I’m unconvinced that he came even close to being a conservative. He badmouthed the soldiers fighting in Vietnam, addressed the leftist “New Politics” conference in 1967, and seemed to be moving left at the time of his assassination.
RE: He badmouthed the soldiers fighting in Vietnam
Did he give any opinion about the Vietnam Communists who were responsible for the refugees and the killing fields of Cambodia?
I would make the case that, outside of his embrace of Islam, that Malcolm X was much more conservative than King, he advocated blacks taking care of themselves and not waiting for liberal handouts.