This leads to his ideas of separation over integration. He felt that integration would still give white people power over black people (which relates back to his beliefs of economic independence). He felt that integration didn’t make up for the kidnapping, rapes, and enslavement of millions of black people for hundreds of years. He thought that as long as white people and black people lived together, white people would have the power while black people would always beg for housing, food, and money. In his lifetime, he’d never seen a situation where someone black wasn’t begging for the “table scraps” off of a white person’s table. He felt that they were only given what white people didn’t want. In addition, he didn’t like the idea of integration …show more content…
His youth (before and after his father’s death), his time spent in Harlem and prison, his union with the Nation of Islam and the Black Muslims, and his pilgrimage to Mecca can all be seen as having very clear influences on the course of his ideology and why he believed the concepts and notions that he did.
Works Cited
Bassey, Magnus O. “What Would John Dewey Say About the Educational Metamorphoses of Malcolm X?” Education and Culture, vol. 25, no. 1, 2009, pp. 52–60. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.5703/educationculture.25.1.52.
Caserio, R. L. “Malcolm X.” The Cambridge Quarterly, vol. 4, no. 1, 1969, pp. 84–94. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/42965123.
Graves, John L. “The Social Ideas of Marcus Garvey.” The Journal of Negro Education, vol. 31, no. 1, 1962, pp. 65–74. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2294548.
Rodgers, Raymond, and Jimmie N. Rogers. “The Evolution of the Attitude of Malcolm X toward Whites.” Phylon (1960-), vol. 44, no. 2, 1983, pp. 108–115. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/275022.
X, Malcolm. The Autobiography of Malcolm X As Told To Alex Haley. Random House,
This book brings together some of the best primary sources on Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X that relate to what I’ve learned in history class. Through their writings and speeches, I appreciate the roles they played in the freedom crusade of the 1950s and 1960s. It is a good summary of its essential teachings that give me insight into their individual styles and personalities. The book is not one that tries to force ideas or a religion on the reader but instead offers new insight on two of these most important civil rights leaders of the century. It is a valuable effort that helps me both within and beyond the classroom, which focuses on the crucial years in the lives of quintessentially human
The author, Alex Haley, describes Malcolm Little’s, AKA Malcolm X, own life as an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist. Beginning with his mother’s pregnancy, Haley explains his childhood, growing up in Michigan. The questionable death of his father and the deteriorating mental health of his mother, sent Malcolm into a downward spiral, causing him to get involved in organized crime and being incarcerated for eight to ten years. While incarcerated, Malcolm encountered the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Lost-Found Nation of Islam.
It was during Prison that Malcolm had an experience that he described was as if Allah had given him a gift to be able to reflect and convert to Islam and change his ways (Perry, 1991). Malcom soon joined the Nation of Islam and upon being released from prison preached a philosophy that was incredibly radical for the time. The nation of Islam and Malcolm preached an over zealous stance on racial division and particularly black superiority, in order to combat the harsh reality of racism in white America. The nation of Islam proclaimed that the white race was born of devils, and obviously caused immense controversy and threat from opposition. Malcolm did so much for the construction of modern black American collective identity and fought hard for civil rights that changed the course of history.
His obsession with racial politics and his desire to fight for racial equality earned him respect. Both individuals completely agreed that their past decisions, whether good or bad, is what created the foundations of their persona. They owned up to their past without allowing themselves to be controlled by regret. In Malcolm’s case, he appreciated the skills that he gained in the ghetto. His life of hustling taught him the ability to survive in the American racist culture.
During the 1960s, the civil rights movement was in full swing, and one of the most influential leaders during this time was Malcolm X. He was an idol for many African-Americans during that time, a great debater, a powerful public speaker, his followers looked up to him and embraced his “the
Malcolm X became one the most crucial world wide speaker for the Black Muslims. His debating abilities against white and black rivals helped spread the organization's message. He uses his strong and violent talks to remind black people that they should not be following the white man’s footsteps because they were already abandoned by the white man and that they should not be discouraged by them. He believes that black people are blinded by the supremacy of the white man and that they (Africans) believe that the color white is greater or higher than the color black. Malcolm X is a prominent figure in history.
As we just celebrated the forty months anniversary of the Black History Month, it is an important observance to commemorate the contributions and achievements of the African Americans in the American history. Historically, during the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans are the most vulnerable ethnic group who suffers from injustice in the social and political spheres of influence. However, social justice advocates such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X express their criticism in their pieces of writings for the unjust treatment that these African Americans endure. Martin Luther King, Jr’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is a response to the clergymen’s letter in which he talks about defending the nonviolent direct actions and showing
Which is living in two worlds knowing your role within your culture, plus the one living in America. He theorized that racism affected identity that it weighted so heavy that it stopped them from achieving what they could as human beings. He saw beauty in black and wanted the African American community to be equal and have no limitations. “ We will not be satisfied to take one jot or tittle less than our full manhood rights” W.E.B Dubois. On the other hand, Booker T. Washington did not see things this way, he was more concerned in about promoting agricultural and industrial jobs to African Americans than to fully fight for all their American rights.
He continued to explain that white and black people, in America, come from different backgrounds, they both share the same origins. Therefore, America denying black people rights granted to all humans is immoral. His second claim is that white people separate black people from humanity in
Though there are thousands of books with inspiring and powerful messages about racial injustice, “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” would definitely be on my top ten list. Malcolm X was an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist that specifically fought for the rights of Black people. Throughout his life story, you will recognize that Malcolm went through various phases that helped him become who he was; each phase leaving behind a meaningful message on racial injustice. But the most captivating phase would definitely have to be when he was growing up in Michigan.
Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were prominent and powerful leaders. While each man believed in fighting for blacks and equal rights, they maintained different approaches to achieve their goals. These different paths stemmed from each man’s ideologies, which were largely shaped by their upbringings and religions. While King grew up with a respected Christian father and had the opportunity to attend school his entire life, Malcolm X, on the other hand, experienced extreme acts of violence against himself and his family. While King practiced Christianity and shaped his ideals around this, Malcolm X was a practitioner of the Muslim faith, and he implemented many of Muslim ideologies into his ideals.
Malcolm X is more adversarial towards the white community through his vivid descriptions of the brutal history of oppression black Americans face, in order to empower his audience to follow
Malcolm x informs other African American about how their culture had been stripped by whites and how they created and inspired
From a common thug to a fiercely intelligent leader, Malcolm X has set the stage for an audience to be truly inspired. His passion for knowledge flows from the pages of his work, “Learning to Read,” naturally drawing the reader into a time and place many people don't know about; prison in the 1940's and '50's. Malcolms devotion to learning, albeit not in the traditional sense, shows in his writing. When describing his past, Malcolm X draws a clear picture of what his time in prison was like. Although his work is not as refined as a piece of literature from someone like Dickens or Hemingway, Malcolm X presents to his audience that willingness, motivation, and a desire to learn can go a long way. Even though Malcolm is telling
But just as in the article “The Allegory of the Cave” malcolm did not only self educate himself but lots of african muslim individuals also became a leader of islam. He went into prison and left a new person, he used all this knowledge and education not only for himself but to help others. As stated in the article “About Prison Studies”,“Malcolm X essentially used education for the advancement for political and civil causes.” This quote shows that Malcolm X’s purpose and goal was always to help others he knew he was going to come out of prison a changed man for the better good, he knew he was going to add a change into the society and help individuals and lead