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Monday, May 19, 2008 | 9:43pm
Highbrid Nation Honors Malcolm X On His Birthday
The architect of Black Nationalism. “By Any Means Necessary”
Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965)
Malcolm X was the foremost leader of Black nationalism of an oppressed people who were seeking self-determination in a society that had consigned the to pariah status. One legacy of Malcolm X’s powerful message is the fact that even today the Nation of Islam is the most powerful Black nationalist organization in America.
Malcolm X believed that political organization and action was the most effective means to win Black liberation. Malcolm X’s bottom line was
1) African Americans will only get their freedom by fighting for it.
2) The U.S. government is a racist government and an enemy of African Americans.
3) The strategy of slow reform, the program of the liberals – Black and white, Democrat and Republican – is the road to betrayal and defeat, not justice and equality.
4) Black people must rely on their own power, control their own struggle, determine their own strategy and tactics, and select their own leaders.
5) African Americans have the right to self-defense in the face of racist attacks.
Malcolm X was labeled a “Black racist†because he disagreed with the “turn the other cheek†approach of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and most of the other more “acceptable†leaders of the civil rights struggle. But late in his life, Malcolm X changed his approach to the mainstream civil rights organizations. He treated his differences with Martin Luther King and other leaders of the civil rights movement as subordinate to their common struggle against racism in America. He declared that he was willing to work with anyone in a common struggle and form a Black united front against the racist ruling class.
Tragically, the assassinations of both these central Black leaders cut short this promising alliance, which would have become a powerful combination for social change. He was idolized from everyone from Chuck D of Public Enemy to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.Â
FILED IN Need to Know
Malcolm is easily my favorite of the great civil rights icons.
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I know that in our modern code-worded society, I’m supposed to say that Dr. King is the greatest; but you know — I honestly prefer Malcolm.
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I think his autobiography should be required reading in school. I think he should have his own holiday too.
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While Dr King is a great inspiration, he always seems (at least in terms of the modern retelling of his life), a bit out of touch: a George Washington type who was born the great minister. Always great; never quite human like the rest of us; always an unreachable goal.
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Malcolm, however, is a saint for the rest of us. He is, like St Paul, the redemption we all hope for. He is the man who shows us all how far a person can rise through the power of a single human mind.
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The fact that someone with his upbringing (and criminal past) could rise to the level that he did (both professionally and spiritually); is not only a testament to his personal strength; it is an example for the rest of us who, like him, are less than perfect.
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More than that, my respect for Malcolm comes from his philosophy. In an age where it is far too easy to blame your problems on others (and to, therefore, claim that it is impossible to overcome them), Malcolm showed that through strength, planning and commitment, there are no problems that cannot be overcome.
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I wish I could have known the man.
Well said “Malcolm” its like I say in one of my AIM away messages: You know why I respect Malcom X more than Dr. Marting Luther King Jr.? Because Martin had a “Dream”…But Malcolm lived “By Any Means Necessary.”
Stop Dreaming and Make it Happen By Any Means Necessary!
Good ish guys! I knew there was something I should have remembered yesterday. Dag i feel bad now
one our truest icons, its ag rebel
MINISTER MALCOLM WAS A WELL TAUGHT.
i love maloclm x he was a strong man and stayed strong even when he knew people were going to try and kill him
te quierooooooooo muaccc