History and Culture of the English-Speaking

Peoples II- 2015

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Maria Sol Manuli

From a Legionary to a Legendary Figure of the Civil Right Movement

A protracted struggle against racism and inequality has been fought throughout
American history and we can see the results of it even today. But every battle has a charismatic
forerunner that has influenced on the different members of the community persuading them that
a better place is possible for everyone. Bravery, strong convictions, dogged determination, a
desire for societys well-being and equality were some of the main features in which the leaders
of the Civil Right Movement believed in. While Rosa Park and Martin Luther King encouraged
African-Americans to trust that love, unitys power and non-violent protests could convert
people to the side of justice, Malcolm X wanted the movement to become more belligerent.
Although Martin Luther King and Malcolm X shared the same ideas about the achievement of
equality among the members of the society, the legendary figure Malcolm X influenced on
numerous people and he made meaningful contributions to the Civil Right Movement.
During the 1960s, not only was Malcom X seen as an alternative and key figure for the
Black community, but also his controversial philosophy caused a huge change in AfricanAmericans thinking. Having been one of the most visible spokesperson for the Nation of Islam,
Malcolm X stated in his speech that:
The political philosophy of Black Nationalism only means that the black man
should control the politics and the politicians in his own communityonly
means that we will have to carry on a program, a political program, of reeducation to open our peoples eyes, make us become more politically
conscious, politically mature, and then whenever we get ready to cast our
ballot and ballot, will be cast for a man of the community who has the good of
the community of heart. The economic philosophy of Black Nationalism only
means that we should own and operate and control the economy of our

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community. You never found -you cant open up a black store in a white
community. White man wont even patronize you. And hes not wrong. Hes
got sense enough to look out for himself. You the only one who dont have
sense enough to look out for yourself (X, 1990, pp. 38-39)
With his words, Malcolm X encouraged people to make their own community self-sufficient
and separate themselves from the whites. Also, he advocated to self-defence saying that it
doesnt mean that I advocate violence, but at the same time I am not against using violence in
self-defence. I dont even call it violence when its self-defence, I call it intelligence (X, 1964,
para. 24). All these ideas eventually provoked an awakening in Americas Black population due
to the fact that they did not observe any step forward in terms of equality in housing, job
opportunities and salaries. So, to what extent had they been really successful in their struggle for
equality? Although they had achieved many of their goals in Civil Rights such as Civil Right
Act signed into law in 1964, the Black community considered that it was time to change from
non-violent ways of protests into more pugnacious ones and do whatever it took to make their
way in the world.
Malcolms ideas about black power, Black Nationalism and economic self-sufficiency
inspired many generations of African-American youngsters to promote this philosophy by
creating groups that encouraged the community to be conceited of their heritage and personal
pride in the middle of the 20 th century. The Black Panthers were a group that took Malcolm Xs
thoughts in order to foment a revolution in the United States. The purpose of this organization
was to guarantee their rights and liberate the Black community; although some people pointed
out that the legacy of the Black Panthers included crime and terror. Yet, their members justified
themselves declaring that their behaviour was in response to police brutality who belonged to
the White society and constantly infringed their civil liberties. Inspired by Malcolm Xs
speeches, the Black Panthers never forgot a word to the wise: Im not against them because of
their race, but Im sure against them because of what theyre doing; and if theyre doing wrong,

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we should stop them, and by any means necessary (X, 1965, p.96). On the other hand, The
Black Panthers provided Black people humanitarian assistance such as medical care and free
food to school children. Moreover, Fred Hampton, one of the founders of this group in Chicago,
set social services like the Breakfast Program in 1969 to provide children breakfast every
morning in schools and ensure their state of health. Also, Hampton taught political education
classes and instigated a community control of police project (Simkim, 1997, para.6). Despite
several attempts were made to continue with the organization, the leaders of the Black Panther
became disillusioned due to the fact that:
Attacks on the party and internal degradation and divisions, caused the party to fall
apart. The leadership of the party had been absolutely smashed; its rank and file
constantly terrorized by the police. Many remaining Panthers were hunted down and
killed in the 1980s, imprisoned on trumped charges, or forced to flee the United States
(Baggins, 2002, Para. 18).
For all above mentioned reasons, was Malcolm X a positive influence for young AfricanAmericans? Without any doubt, Malcolms ideas made them realize about Black pride and
their struggle for what is considered to be equal for everyone, but what was debatable is the
way in which they acted.
Even though many believed that Malcolm Xs speeches were full of hatred, remorse
and he was considered to be a civil right activist as a drug-dealing pimp (Chalmers,
2015,Para. 1), for some others, not only does his legacy still remain, but also he is seen as a
hero of the Civil Right Movement. According to Malcolm X, he had a tough life and suffered
many injustices just because of the complexion of his skin. The death of his father or the
burning of his home by the white mans hands (Haley & X, 1965, p.24) were some
examples that led him to saw the seeds of rancour and realize that he did not live in an
egalitarian society. While it is true to say that an immature Malcolm became a victim of drug
abuse and eventually got stuck in this vicious circle, he blamed White society for driving him

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to it. In his own autobiography, he declared that all of us-who might have probed space, or
cured cancer, or built industries were, instead, black victims of the white man's American
social system (Haley & X, 1965, pp. 98-99). In other words, black people could only find
menial jobs and they had no chances of progress, so that he started to sell drugs seeing this as
a faster way to make a living. Nevertheless, his undeniable contributions to society and the
Black community have strengthened with the passing of the time and even stronger, especially
having a massive impact for the youth. Without hesitation, Malcolm X has turned into an icon
of the Civil Right Movement due to the fact that he highlighted that the most significant is to
feel pride about the identity. In order to achieve improvements in society is necessary to fight
for them. According with The New Yorks article called For Youths, Malcolm X is
Reflection and Identity 1, most 13-year-old students have sentiments of admiration and
thoughtfulness after watching films about the Civil Right Movement activist. Not only are
these feelings awoken in black youth but also in other communities. As one might see,
contrary to popular belief, Malcolm X has left his philosophy about equality for everybody
and his constant struggling for the welfare of the African- Americans in society.
Taking everything into consideration, there exist a huge variety of opinions about the role that
Malcolm X played in the Civil Right Movement. His controversial way of thinking and the
way he incited people to do whatever it took to fulfil their goals as regard social equality led
him to gain popularity throughout the years. Moreover, Malcolm X invited the Black
population to unify and build a better civilization where they could be able to deal with
economic, social and political aspects and enhance a state of peace among them. Far from
White society, they would not feel threatened and they would preach the philosophy of Black
Nationalism. Also, he promoted the belief that there was nothing to be ashamed of Black
communitys past, on the contrary, it took part of their history and shaped their identity.
1 Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/19/nyregion/for-youthsmalcolm-x-is-reflection-and-identity.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic
%2FMalcolm%20X

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Finally, not only did all these ideas inspire many African-American youngsters in the 1960s,
like the Black Panther, but also Malcolm X is still considered to be a meaningful figure of the
Civil Liberties by the youth nowadays. Needless to say, his contributions have perpetuated in
the history of humanity.

References
Baggins, B. (2002). History of the Black Panther Party. Marxists Internet Archive (marx.org).
Retrieved on November 4, 2015, from
<https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/workers/black-panthers/
Chalmers, R. (2015). The toxic legacy of Malcolm X. GQ magazine [online]. Retrieved
November 9, 2015, from http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/comment/articles/201502/20/the-toxic-legacy-of-malcolm-x>
Haley, A & X.M. (1965). The Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York: Bailiantine Books.
Richardson, L. (November 19, 1992). For Youth, Malcolm X's Reflection and Identity. The New
York Times. Retrieved November 7, 2015, from
http://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/19/nyregion/for-youths-malcolm-x-is-reflectionand-identity.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FMalcolm%20X>
Simkim, J. (1997, September). The Black Panthers. Spartacus Educational. Retreived
November 12, 2015, from http://spartacus-educational.com/USApantherB.htm>
X, M. (December 12, 1964). Speech to peace corps workers. Retrieved November 6, 2015, from
<http://malcolmxfiles.blogspot.com.ar/2013/07/speech-to-peace-corps-workersdecember.html
X, M. (1990). The Ballot or the Bullet. Malcolm X Speaks. Selected speeches and statements
edited with prefatory notes by George Breitman (pag.38-39) (G. Breitman, Ed.) USA:
Grove Press.

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