The role of the prophet is what could be and what should be, in which God is working through. According to this definition, there are many well-renowned black prophets, and others remain nameless. Although the Black prophet for which I am going to speak of in this essay are prominent throughout the Civil Rights Movement, his teachings not only have a compelling effect on contemporary’s society but have a lingering effect on my heart personally. This Black prophet is Brother Malcolm. Malcolm X’s teachings of urgency for such radical change was one that was not in favor with many Americans, specifically White Americans. Many have associated Malcolm X’s ideologies with hatred, radicalism with a very negative connotation, and violent. This perception
- [ ] Malcolm X ideology as well as his viewpoints have always differed from the viewpoint of majority of people and as well as the more “acceptable” way of thinking in society.
Malcolm X, an African American leader and prominent figure in the Nation of Islam, was a significant individual in the African American fight for justice and equality. In contrast to the mainstream Civil Rights Movement with its nonviolent pursuit of integration, Malcolm X voiced concepts of race pride and Black Nationalism during the 1950s and '60s. Although many argue that Malcolm X did not actually “do” anything for the black community, his nontraditional programs brought a new perspective to the Civil Rights Movement, and this perspective is of relevance today in the black community.
Malcolm X is seen as quite a controversial person. His admirers see him as a courageous human rights activist who campaigned for the rights of African Americans and showed white America how racist it was. His enemies see him as a racist, anti-Semitic and violent person.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley is an account of Malcolm X’s evolving perspective on racial justice. Malcolm X was a prominent figure in the Nation of Islam who advocated for black nationalism and separatism. The man who became one of America’s most powerful voices for African Americans was deeply affected by the terrors of racism, which shaped his view of social justice and the condemnation of the white man. The way Malcolm X narrates his experiences changes as his views on race change. At first, he wants readers to feel the destructiveness of racism, so he conveys his experiences through provocative language. When he aims to promote universal peace, he takes on a more optimistic tone. As a
There is no undermining that his beliefs could be considered radical, but at the same time there was no one who wanted to express what X was claiming. The majority of blacks did not feel the power to believe that they deserved more than what was left for them to survive off. To speak about civil rights, no one was as willing compared to X to talk about how blacks were living only to “survive.” Health and Medical Statistics from the 1940-1960 time frame exactly prove this as life expectancies at birth were at least ten years more on average for whites, when compared to blacks throughout the listed years. Therefore, think again how extreme were Malcolm X’s beliefs when he exclaimed that, “You have been cut off by the devil white man from all true knowledge of your own land” (Autobiography of X, 1965). Not only does it take confidence and pride to denounce the Anglo-Saxon race in a time where blacks are officially second-class people, but it takes a real leader. This is not to say that MLK JR has not once in his lifetime ever let out a negative opinion on white people, but he surely has not done so in such a manner as Malcolm X. It is not that MLK JR philosophy did not have an emphasis of how there is an urgency for change to take place in America, but it was more than anything the lack of a redemption factor. Malcolm X knew all his life what it was like to
Americans often say that Malcolm X was ¡°the angriest Negro in America¡± (p. 366). They assume that Malcolm X emphasized only violence to the white and separation of the black from the white. However, is this assumption about Malcolm X really true? Not, at all. The image of Malcolm X as an icon of ¡°black power¡± is not a truth but a myth made by media. Although I grant that Malcolm X had been a radical activist who had tried to improve life of the black and to separate the black from the white before quitting the Nation of Islam, I still argue that Malcolm X eventually realized that the white and the black could exist together with harmony under GOD, Allah, after Hajj.
The main goal of the American Civil RIghts Movement was to gain equality for all people, regardless of color, race, ethnicity, etc. Some people decided to tolerate all the abuse. Others decided to take action and fight for what they believed in. Without Malcolm X, civil rights would not be that same as they are today. He fought for equality even though he was threatened.
No man in our time aroused fear and hatred in the white man as did Malcolm, because in him the white man sense an implacable foe who could not be had for any price-a man unreservedly committed to the cause of liberating the black man in American society rather than integrating the black man into that society. (Haley XXV) Without a doubt Malcolm X was one of the most brilliantly moving speakers that has ever lived. His strong voice and commanding presence paired with his wit and sheer intelligence brought a people to their feet and struck fear in the hearts of a nation. Malcolm X excited and inspired a passive people to take a stand for real.
During the 1960’s, the Civil Rights Movement involved ending segregation and inequality in order for black people in America to attain equality and justice. Although the whites and nonwhites were citizens of the United States of America, the whites had civil rights and they were superior, while the blacks didn’t have the same rights as the whites did and they were considered inferior. Many blacks protested about the blacks rights and eventually more people heard about it and decided to follow along. There were several civil rights leaders, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and more, that wanted to end injustice for all black people in America. King and Malcolm X were willing to do anything they could to help the blacks get justice and equality, but the focal point here is about how Malcolm X’s views, such as the Nation of Islam, separation/segregation, Christianity, and violence relate to African Americans, race, and the Civil Rights Movement.
Malcolm X had accomplished many achievements throughout his time as a religious, fellow activist, however, it had never been something simple to do. Throughout his younger years, he had always been in a battle with race, religion, and who exactly he identified himself to be. When Malcolm’s parents, Earl and Louis Little, had been expecting on the arrival for Malcolm’s birth, Earl had been threatened precisely by many white supremacist groups, causing their family to relocate many times in search for safety. A few years after, in the year 1931, Malcolm’s father had been in an accident that was suspicioned to be an actual murder held by the white supremacist (Munir, 2015). Malcolm and the rest of his family were left with
You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom. On the afternoon of February 21, 1965, Malcom, an outspoken activist who fought oppression, was assassinated. What led Malcolm X to want to be an activist? "The only way we'll get freedom for ourselves is to identify ourselves with every oppressed people in the world. We are blood brothers to the people of Brazil, Venezuela, Haiti... Cuba - yes Cuba too." Malcolm X was one of the most important civil rights activists in America. His powerful words, ideas and beliefs on civil rights and the Nation of Islam spread around the world creating change. The rough early life and experiences of Malcolm X shaped into the inspirational leader that
Civil rights was happening around this time with or without MLK. If we are in agreement that he was the leader of the peaceful civil rights movement, than I would assume that had he never been born the violent civil rights activists would have been more prominent
In this, Malcolm believed that embracing Islam would allow individuals to transcend what is in terms of racism and embrace what can be in terms of recasting oneself in the mode of Allah through the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. Like Dr. King, Malcolm X understood that Civil Rights had to be broached within the topic of religion in order to further its cause and move it from a political one to a moral entity. The primary difference was that Malcolm X argued that the spiritual austerity required in Islam prevented people of color, specifically African- Americans, from seeing themselves as secondary to Whites. This meant that a staunch stance of self- defense and self- assertiveness was needed for this was the representation of the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. Just as Dr. King believed that nonviolent civil disobedience moved individuals closer to Christian goodness, Malcolm X taught that assertive defense of oneself as a Muslim moves one closer to the teachings of
After Malcolm went to Mecca, he stopped by Africa multiple times. He went there to talk with officials, gave interviews and talk on radio and Television in Egypt, Ethiopia. On November 23, 1964, on his way home from Africa, Malcolm X stopped in Paris, where he spoke in the Salle de la Mutualité.A week later, on November 30, Malcolm X flew to the United Kingdom, and on December 3 took part in a debate at the Oxford Union Society. He came back to the United States with a new outlook on integration and a new hope for the future. This time he spoke for all of the races and ethnicities, not just
Malcolm X went through various stages of his life which was powered by the many incidents with white people growing up in America. Several times throughout Malcolm’s life, he discovered many different perspectives which led to a change in his personality. These detrimental situations led Malcolm Little to follow a path which led him to the Nation of Islam’s Malcolm X which led him to el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz. Malcolm X became one of the most controversial political figures during his short-lived lifetime. Malcolm came into the public’s eye during the 1950’s and 60’s which is renowned as a pivotal era in American and African American history to strive for full civil rights for African Americans. Often, Malcolm’s outspokenness was quickly mistaken or simply misinterpreted as “hate speech”. Malcolm was constantly accused of inciting violence while he was only informing African Americans on methods of dealing with their current situation(s). The evolution of Malcolm X & his philosophies influenced a more self-conscious culture amongst African Americans which allowed him to be extremely powerful and led.