The Angriest Black Man in America (5) Malcolm X

    No one paints the revolutionary war as unjust or mean-spirited. The oppressor was being oppressive so a bloody war took place in the name of freedom. We view those who fought not as violent radicals but as heroes. Many of those heroes owned slaves. one more time as it may need to be repeated, many of those 'heroes' owned slaves... America paints itself as a bastion of freedom, but Black people are always left out of the equation. When Black people do fight for their freedom, it is often thwarted by White America which is why the civil rights movement we know is extremely limited in its political ideologies. We're taught that MLK was nice, Malcolm X was mean, and the Black Panthers were Evil, but none of those statements are true. We need to expand our knowledge of civil rights history and understand that what we know is very whitewashed. 

    We get a lot wrong about Malcolm X. Rather than try to debate  X's ideas, giving them a chance to be analyzed and scrutinized where necessary, we hide his ideas to keep White America feeling safe. Most of his ideas have been tainted with white fear. What people don't know is that he preached for the body and bind to be cherished. He preached for Black people to kill the vices he saw in the community such as drinking, prostitution, and crime, and in place eat healthily and respect their bodies. He has developed the nickname as 'the angriest Black man in America', but this is a misnomer as his demeanor was persistently even-keel. This nickname he got is just another example of America painting Black men as angry as a method of invalidating their plights. He did not preach violence, he preached self-defense. Although he was known to claim "white people are the devil" when you look at his early life one can begin to see why he would think that. To say that everything he experienced and everything Black people still experience is not evil is to say Slavery, Lynching, Murder, Oppression, and Suppression are neutral matters. Malcolm's own father was murdered by an arm of the KKK, along with 4 of his uncles and he grew up in a time of blatant racism and segregation.

     Ideas like respectability politics, notions that Black people need to "pick themselves up by their bootstraps", and rampant individualism in America are weapons against the Black community to this day. This form of gaslighting is White America's favorite pastime because it shifts any blame they may have and turns it back around onto black people. Malcolm X fought against these ideas. To feel validated in the racism they've experienced and to be told they are not crazy, is sadly a refreshing experience and for many Black Americans back then and today who are tired of suffering. Later in life, he turned away from his rightful hate towards the white race and later said that the true enemy of justice is racism, but his earlier claims were for the most part a reaction to what he saw, the truth. Malcolm X didn't want integration. It's a taboo subject but this claim that integration is the correct plan of action for Black America should be extremely scrutinized. That is not to say that Segregation is the answer, because it's not a black and white issue, the options are not solely Segregation or Integration even though we're taught those are the only options. Once we put integration under the microscope we see there are times when it is dangerous for the Black Community and actually hurts the Black community. Many believe the Tulsa Massacre was the death of Black Wallstreet, but the truth is the district was able to rebuild and recover in only a year; the true killer of Black Wallstreet was integration around the mid-century mark. We have to start scrutinizing those ideas and let students come to their own conclusions.

    Never in history have White Americans been held to the same standard as Black Ameria when it comes to seeking justice. The hope is for the peaceful liberation of black people, but to say that black people must be nonviolent in the face of generations of violence they've faced, generations of oppression they've faced, generations of subjugation they've faced is hypocritical. It is important to remember that black liberation regardless of intent, content, or method has always been met with brutal murder. Both Malcolm and Martin were assassinated, but that fact is often glossed over. It is time we began remembering the truth. On February 21st, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated. He was 39.

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How can you incorporate Malcolm X and his ideas into your curriculum? (write it out)

What are the first steps in your plan? (take action)

Further Reading:

Book - The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Article - Malcolm X Assassinated - https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/malcolm-x-assassinated

Teachable Content:

Who was Malcolm X (15 min) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaVIucxNeTY

Movie - Malcolm X