Eng. IV “Institutional Oppression is the systematic mistreatment of people within a social identity group, supported and enforced by the society and its institutions, solely based on the person's membership in the social identity group.” In The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley, the ideas of systemic oppression and ‘social’ or racial identity are frequently expressed through the conflicts and events in Malcolm's life. Every facet of Malcolm's life had been influenced or affected greatly by the socially instituted oppression placed on him by his racial identity. It started when he was young, at the very beginning of his story. From an early age, his father was harassed by the Ku Klux Klan, and then his mother was driven mad by social workers. Upon which his family was very …show more content…
Though even that wasn't enough to get rid of the blight itself. Systemic oppression is an issue still relevant today. In all things from the workforce to day to day living. Things were so bad in Malcolm's time, that in 1964, the US Equal Employment Commission was founded as aid for minorities and women in the workforce and private industry. Beyond that many other measures have been put into places by the US government and private organizations to combat systemic oppression. But the ideal is also symbolic, much of the fight Malcolm Little, his father, Marcus Garvey and Dr. King fought was largely symbolic rather than material. Some of those symbols still remain today. For example in South Carolina, at the capital. Lately on the news there has been the fiasco that took place when people took offense to the flying of the Confederate flag. Whether someone believe they flew the flag based on their appreciation of their history and culture, or flew it in order to continue to perpetuate old ideals of systemic oppression no one can
In Atlanta Ga, Charlottesville Nc, and in every other formerly Confederate State in the U.S. there has been controversial debates on whether or not the current standing Confederate statues should be removed from public areas. Many people claim that a modern society should not honor the racist soldiers who fought for slavery. Others believe that preserving historical accuracy is essential to learning from the mistakes of the past. The opinions of thousands of citizens clash with one another over the debate between offense and information. I believe that it is most beneficial for the majority of people if the current Confederate monuments remain where they are.
The administrator ultimately banned the wearing of the confederate flag on school grounds nonetheless she admitted that she could not “ban it for eternity” (Hardie, 2013) and within months the students were back to wearing the flag. One of the teachers explained, “Our school’s, you know, real big, was real big into wearing the Confederate flag and they didn’t—I think it was lack of education or really understanding. I think we got a bunch of country bumpkins that just wore it because that’s what always—you know” (Hardie, 2013). This shows that although the history of the flag is known, the students’ allowed to wear the attire because the lack of understanding and education of the true meaning of the
( Josh white). The flag was flown before, during, and after the Civil War. This does not mean it’s racist. The flag represents the heritage of the men and women who live in the southern states today. At Hudson High School, there was a group of students who raised the Rebel Flag on the school's flagpole during the night.
When a flag is presented in a rival that brings hate and discontent to America it should be removed from being displayed. I strongly am offended of the Confederate flag and my opinion is a lot of others are also offended. The constant reminder of the mistreatment and enslavement of the black race is still being suffered by black people today. The confederate flag brings grief to my heart as my ancestors were subjected to slavery.
It took the military to allow nine African Americans students to enter a school in a white neighborhood. This is only one event, other events created riots, bombings, discrimination, poverty, and racism. This is why Malcolm X’s philosophy is much better for the sake of time and our nation. Malcolm X
Malcolm has more justification for the black rights movement than just arguing about the variable of time, he also states that without African Americans the United States wouldn 't have its riches or status. This is all based on the idea that without slavery and generations of black workers, America would never have evolved into the prosperous
Countless battles have been fought on American soil, some with weapons, but most with words, opinions, and selfless actions. These memoirs tell the stories of Malcolm X and Ulrich and how they affected their respective movements. Malcolm X is one of the most famous and well known advocates of the civil rights movement. He has inspired many to stand up for their race, and to not be put down for the color of their skin. Much like Malcolm X, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich is a famous and well known figure head in the fight for equality.
Assuming that the flag has a deep history of racial injustice that exceed far beyond the Civil War. Adding that his motive is patriotism, the flag has been managed as a symbol of racism and radical inequality. While the Confederate flag is a prevailing and problematical symbol, one that should entirely be dismantled. Taking down the flag is only the first step. What we must do is knock down racism.
His approach was shocking to many, it raised many emotions throughout the entire United States of America, pride, antipathy, confusion, hate, and unity. However history may look at him, it is undeniable that he accomplished many great things. His protest against the unjust treatment of African American’s will forever be survived by the establishment equal opportunity laws. Despite the leaps and bounds that have been made since the days of the civil right’s movement, there is still much to go in regards to racial tension, equal treatment, and respect for all peoples no matter the color of their skin, however, Malcolm reminds us that it is in the hands of Americans today to make that change, to put it in his words, “The future belongs to those who prepare for it
The civil rights movement would not have been possible without the contributions of many ordinary people. But these ordinary people could not have been organized without the skills of the leaders of the civil rights movement. Two very famous civil rights leaders Martin Luther King and Malcolm X in particular contributed to the cause of desegregation. Though both men contributed much to the act of desegregation, these men had very different ideologies about the process of desegregation. By analyzing the two pieces and comparing how and why they are different, the differing strategies of the two men can be better understood and applied to issues of today.
In this passage Malcolm X addressed the narrating “I” to address the audience of the autobiography, and he explains to them why he put forward the “sordid” details of his younger years as well as tells the read why he made the decision to spend so much time writing a book at all. This passage shows the reader the important themes that Malcolm X aims to put forward in the book, and that is the theme of race and racism in addition to the theme of religion. The theme of race is present when he says, “I had sunk to the very bottom of American white man’s society.” This quote tells the reader that Malcolm X has aimed, and still aims, to show how American society puts the white man at power, and the African-American man below him. Then the theme
Thesis: In “The Autobiography of Malcolm X”, Malcolm X in his telling of his life to Alex Haley uncovers the theme of positive and negative environments unearthed by the interaction of African Americans and White Americans in his life and what those kinds of environments inherently produce. Annotated Bibliography Nelson, Emmanuel S. Ethnic American Literature: an Encyclopedia for Students. Greenwood, An Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2015.This encyclopedia points out that the negative interaction he held with the white man as a young hustler was countered by these same experiences pushing Malcolm X to reclaim his “African identity”. This shows, as described by the cited work, what a man pushed by his negative interactions with the oppressive white men is willing to do to find his identity (i.e. through hustling).
As the years went by, Malcolm continued down the wrong path, filled with crime and pain. Due to the racial hate that followed him, he could never be seen as an equal. The government imprisoned him multiple times for his crimes and this added to his depression. He desperately tried to change the way society looked upon him, but eventually he looked to crimes and rebellion in order to
In contrast to the violent approach proposed by other Civil Rights leaders at the time, such as Malcolm X, Dr. King paved the long road to
Malcolm X was an influential African-American leader he also rose to prominence in the mid-1950s. Malcolm opposed the mainstream civil rights movement, publicly calling for black separatism and rejecting nonviolence and integration into combatting racism by. However, Malcolm has combatted many obstacles during his lifetime. Some examples on how Malcolm combatted racism was… (insert evidence here)