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MALCOLM X 4

MALCOLM X

Rodney Martinez

Malcolm x was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement and was, to say the least, a polarizing figure who adopted a more radical stance than that of his contemporaries in the civil rights movement such as Dr. Martin Luther King. Nonetheless, he left a legacy that has is still impacting not just the African American community but the whole of the American society in general.

Malcolm x was a controversial figure ever since he joined the civil rights movement. He initially started out in the nation of Islam when Mohammed Ali took him under his wing. Malcolm was a strong believer in separatism and Pan-Africanism and believed that African Americans should be given the opportunity to separately exist as a nation from the rest of America or at the very least allowed to develop separately from the rest of America as opposed to his contemporaries who advocated for integration (Tyner, 2013).

In modern America, a considerable number of people adhere to the ideologies espoused by Malcolm x. while in the Nation of Islam Malcolm initiated some projects which he believed would give back the Africans their economic freedom a concept that still resonates today with communities most especially in the inner city ghettos. Later on after quitting the nation of Islam and adopting contemporary Islam Malcolm took a stance which did not classify the whole white race as the antagonists but instead made accepted people of all races who were revolutions in the fight against racial segregation a concept that is still resonating with people of all racial creeds today. A resonating aspect of Malcolm’s ideas is the idea that black is beautiful. It was common for people of African descent to bleach their skin and straighten their hair to match that of the people of European ancestry. Malcolm strongly campaigned against this and encouraged people to take pride in their identity (Dyson, 2016). No group has expounded this further than musicians especially hip hop artists.

Malcolm x achievements are vast and varied, and we have just highlighted very few in this essay but nonetheless his impact on the American society of today is undeniable.

References

Dyson, M. E. (2016). Malcolm X and the Revival of Black Nationalism. . Tikkun, 31(3),, 21-22.

Tyner, J. (2013). The geography of Malcolm X: Black radicalism and the remaking of American space. Routledge.