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Malcom X Thesis

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Through Malcolm X’s life, the idea of the “promised land” in the North was effortlessly debunked. Upon moving northward, Malcom X immediately felt the boundaries of the color line, a concept introduced by W.E.B. DuBois, imposed on the African American community. From the way hate groups treat his family, to the way the police treated him differently, to what people believe African Americans could accomplish, his experience with the color line is undoubtable visible. When Malcom X’s mother was still pregnant, Ku Klux Klan members had come to their house looking for Malcom X’s father – they were angry because they thought his father was teaching the incorrect message to African Americans. Although his father wasn’t there, they continued to …show more content…

For example, as a child, “[white kids] called [Malcom X] ‘nigger’ … so much that [he] thought [it was his] natural names” (12). There is a problem when a single word is used to describe someone’s race, which occurred in the north, where race relations were expected to be better. It’s even worse when it is used so often they believe it is their name, their identity. For another example, although Malcolm X was one of the top students in his class, and the class president, his teacher still told him “A lawyer – that’s no realistic goal for a nigger” (43). His teacher directly, without hesitation, told him he couldn’t become a lawyer. What African Americans were expected to accomplish in their lifetime was the polar opposite of whites. If someone was told they cannot become something they want to be, and to pick something more suitable for them, it would profoundly influence what that individual believes they can accomplish. It would make them feel they are the inferior race, however incorrect that could be. From the way people viewed African Americans, to where society believed African Americans proper place was, the promised land was nonexistent in the north, and the color was solidified. Malcolm X undoubtedly led a life that was common among African Americans, and not as common among whites – while his experience with racism confirms

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