Salvador SolorioPeriod 211/21/03 Malcolm X In the U. S there have been a lot of people who ” ve had political influence in our government, and the person that interested me the most was Malcolm X. Malcolm X was a African American civil rights leader who fought so African Americans could get the same rights like everyone else. Malcolm X was born on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. Before, his name was Malcolm Little, but later changed it to Malcolm X when he joined the Nation of Islam. Like many political leaders, Malcolm X had his own method of how he thought was the right action to use to get his objective.
To accomplish the goal of desegregation and equality of black people, “he believed that white people Blacks Black">black people should get their rights by any means necessary”# He criticized nonviolence and opposed those who favored or used it. Malcolm X went throughout the North and the South making speeches about his ideas and what he thought was right, and he encouraged all black people to fight for their rights and protection. As he became more popular and well known by everyone, he influenced people by giving black people the courage to stand up for themselves and fight back, made a lot of them join him with his ideas, and criticized the government for all the bad things it was doing. In his speeches, Malcolm X spoke about fighting back against those who were hurting them or were in the way. One way that he enlightened them was, “Malcolm made blacks feel good about themselves… he allowed them to have self-esteem and convinced them they had power.” # In order for all black people to fight back and demand their rights, they had to have high self-esteem and make them feel they had power in order for them to put up a good fight and give them motivation to fight, and he did this through his speeches.
The Essay on Initial response to Malcolm X and Black Rage
In the essay, Cornel West tries to explain how Malcolm X’s “Black Rage” articulation wasn’t directed at white americans only, but also to black americans who view their lives and minds through what West describes as “White lenses”. West also claims that Malcolm X’s idea of “psychic conversation” would promote blacks to turn that rage to love and appreciation of their own culture and self ...
He also made them fight against white people by “exposing the white man for the devil he was.” # By making white people look bad, it would make more black people to want to fight for their rights and use violence if they were threatened. All this was part of his method of “any means necessary.” Another way he had political influence was, he convinced and made a lot of people to join him and his ideas as to accomplish their goals. One way he convinced people was by “preaching about his beliefs from the Nation of Islam and why they where the right ideas.” # Another way he convinced people to join him is by telling them how white people were brutally oppressing black people, and that in order to stop that from going on, they had to fight back. Nonviolence and peaceful tactics were no good and it gave slow results.
This made everyone see that the same thing would happen if they were to use violence. Another way he convinced people to join him with his ideas and struggle is by “establishing the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU) in June 1964.” # The OAAU encouraged black people to seek civil rights and join in the movement with him. These are some of the ways he used to influence and convince black people to join him in the civil rights movement. Another way he had political influence was, he criticized the government for all the bad things it was doing.
One of the things he criticized the government for what it was doing is the issue of nonviolence. In a public address, Malcolm X said this, “Look right now what’s going on in and around Saigon and Hanoi and in the Congo and elsewhere. They [the American government] are violent when their interests are at stake… They ” re violent in Korea… wherever they go.
The Essay on People Race Black Blacks
Over the past decades there have been many changes in attitudes towards many things. There have been leaps and bounds made in technology, education, medicine just to name a few. But with all of these changes surrounding people has there been a change where it counts the most, race relations. There has been some shifts in the relationship between races but they are not necessarily what they should ...
But when it comes time for you and me to protect ourselves against lynchings, they tell us to be nonviolent”# What he meant was that its alright for the authority like the government or police to use violence, but its not alright for black people to be violent when they have to defend themselves against mobs and police officers. This made people realize that they had to do whatever it took to defend themselves, since the government or police wouldn’t do anything. Another thing he criticized the government for was its lack of forcing desegregation. He said “you have nine more hypocrites posing as Supreme Court justices; they came up with the so-called desegregation decision in 1954… if they really wanted the black man to be desegregated in this country, would have worded that decision in a way that would made it impossible for the crackers in the South to sidestep it.” # He says that the government isn’t doing much to enforce desegregation, because the South could still get around desegregation. Malcolm X has been an influential person in our government.
He believed in the idea that in order to bring about an answer to the problem, then we should do it “by any means necessary” so the solution is made quick. He, like many other influential people, died for his beliefs and cause. He was assassinated on February 21, 1965 in New York, NY. There are different ways in which he had political influence in our government. He inspired and motivated black people through his speeches to fight for their rights and against their oppressors, he convinced a lot of people to join him in the civil rights movement, and criticized wrongdoings of the government. His ideas and actions left a legacy of influence and accomplishments.
This is why Malcolm X is a person who has had political influence in our government.
