Malcolm X: American Muslim Minister, Civil Rights Advocate & Human Rights Activist - Essay Sample

Introduction

Malcolm X was born in Omaha, Nebraska; the U.S on May 19th, 1925. He was an American Muslim minister and also a human rights activist making him a known figure in the time of the civil rights movement. Malcolm X to the Black community was best known for his disputable advocacy for the rights of blacks. From some people, Malcolm X was regarded as the man who summoned white America in the harshest conditions for its crimes against the blacks whereas, on the contrary, some alleged him of preaching violence and racism (Malcolm, 318. The main objective of this essay is to give insights on the importance of Malcolm X to the black community and the impact of his death.

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Malcolm X to the black community he was so much of importance because during the civil rights movement he served as the controversial group public face whereby he approved of black supremacy, rejected the idea of the civil rights movements that had its emphasis on racial integration and also advocated for the separation of black and white Americans. Malcolm X also showed his pride in Nation's social achievements specifically on the free drug rehabilitation initiative for the people. Later in the 1960s after his disappointment with the Islam Nation, he opted to embrace Sunni Islam and advocated for disavowed racism and racial integration that gave him the recognition as el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz (Thompson, 4). Malcolm X importance to the Black community was evident from his tours across Africa where he also renounced the Islam Nation by creating much emphasis on Pan-Africanism. It is evident Malcolm was of much significance because today hundreds of schools and states in the U.S are referred after him and in many U.S cities most commemorate the Malcolm X Day.

Malcolm X was considered a powerful speaker, and due to that, his presence to the black community was regarded as magnetic. Blacks established encouragement on how Malcolm X insisted on the worth of their race and his stand was for the blacks to get inspired following the Black power movement. Malcolm X was a prominent figure because due to that the whites felt threatened by the harshness of his rhetoric that had repeated claims of blacks by any means necessary to have their right to defend themselves amidst any acts of racist. The scholars have even been seen to argue of how vital Malcolm X was, and according to Adolph Reed, he said he was important since some of the significant events that have molded the last 25 years of black American political history happen to have occurred after Malcolm X death (Corrigan, 150). Another scholar claimed Malcolm X to have had a legacy for which his was cultural legacy, still depicting his importance to the blacks because his advocacy led to a transformation in the manner how black community even today understand themselves. Today if it was not for Malcolm X we could not have had black studies apart from that we could not have had the evolution there was from "Negro" to "blacks" to the now familiar "African American" (Corrigan, 150).

In the postwar North, Racial segregation was not the law, but instead to the black community, it was a reality. The black community in virtually all life aspects faced discrimination and racism, but Malcolm X before his death came in to give the public a voice to defend themselves against such acts thus that made him quite an important figure to the blacks. Blacks' communities before they were being forced to settle in urban ghettos and get their kids educated in inferior schools. Also, the skilled and professional careers were meant for the whites, Blacks were subjected to the authority of the whites more so harassment by the police. It was during the initial years of the civil rights struggle that the new organizational movement the Nation of Islam was established and Malcolm X was the well-known leader. In simple terms, the importance of Malcolm X was evident as the views of the Nation of Islam were extremely conservative as the organization had a combination of orthodox Islam elements. Apart from that it saw the economic independence there was from the society of whites thus had the organization to encourage the people to "buy black." Malcolm X the prominent member of the organization saw off the establishment of owned farmlands and businesses in Northern Cities. His significance was highly depicted by how he did not condemn capitalism but only did so for whites.

The Black community today speaks of the importance of Malcolm X with so much pride because he was one public figure who boldly and articulately was a pull for more militants into attaching to the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X was one figure who responded to charges of the Nation as being racist by unapologetically defending the blacks that if their reaction to white racism through violent racism was racism, then that was not black racism. He alternatively rejected the opinion that the desegregation into American society was a possibility but instead saw the problem as being from the federal government. His significance was depicted where he sharply critics the liberals following such views about the south racism while he also attacked the southern desegregation movement as he asserted for black self-defense. Malcolm argument was, "For the blacks to be peaceful, to obey the law, to respect all; but if one lays a hand on them, then they should send him to the cemetery," quoting that it was a good religion (Malcolm, 318). Malcolm X accounted that blacks could have a bloodless revolution if the whites outshine their renowned prejudices against the blacks and whether the country's socioeconomic and political organizations could deal with the needs of the country's' diverse population. For Malcolm X the black man had to control their community politics by fighting until they overcame to gain freedom.

Malcolm X together with the Black Panther was the persons who could influence the wake of the Civil Rights movement, whereby Malcolm X brought the idea of black self-defense and nationalism to fight for the common purpose which was to gain independence, and from whites, they achieve their equality. The newfound unity and ideologies established by Malcolm X were what the blacks utilized to rise and succeed thus make him of importance to the blacks. The Civil rights movement era had African Americans demand judgment not by skin color but heart contents. In this duration black community gained the ability to stand up for their rights as since the America early birth, racism was one great shadow that destabilized the states potential destroying people's dreams. According to scholars Malcolm X was one of influence as he redefined the debate of race as he created much emphasize on the matter at hand as not being civil rights nonetheless as human rights (Malcolm,318). The other aspect that made Malcolm X of importance to the black community was the fact that he would tell it as it is. Malcolm X stress was on how blacks happened to be victims of the policy of exploitation and domination which was national, structural and most significantly intentional. For Malcolm X standing out to give such views that made him one great civil rights leader. Besides before his death, there were praises of his ability to unify the black community and gave them a perception of belonging, ultimately winning their freedom and ending robbery by the whites to the blacks.

The Impact of Malcolm X Death

Malcolm X was shot on February 21st, 1965 by Nation of Islam members as he spoke in New York City at a rally of his organization. Malcolm X for years now he was one influential figure to the civil rights era thus regarded as the Black Nationalism apostle who had strong resistance towards the white oppression. Malcolm X at the time of his death left a legacy of being considered as one polarizing figure that divided and energized African Americans as he alienated and frightened the whites. Malcolm X declaration before he met his death was that the civil rights movement hoped to give freedom to blacks through nonviolence and integration which it did. Malcolm X assassination came to be when he was the age of 39 years; he still left an impact because his cultural and political influence advanced way higher in the years after his passing away than when he lived.

Today Malcolm X is famously seen as the 20th century great martyrs of the blacks' freedom struggle because his impact never called for violent revolution but gave warnings to whites that the blacks would use any approach necessary particularly armed self-defense upon realization of how hopelessly entrenched and pervasive white racism had begun to be. According to a theologian James Cone on assessing the impact of Malcolm X death, he remarked that Malcolm X was one "own black shining prince" to the black community who revolutionized the mind of blacks (Corrigan, 150). It was through Malcolm X that led to the transformation of docile Negroes and reserved colored persons into the now self-confident and proud blacks or African Americans. After the death of Malcolm X, he remains the worlds most admired political activists as he was one of the leaders of the American Civil rights movement that struggled to see off the freedom of the blacks and fought for racial equality. Malcolm X death left legacy following his passive resistance to attaining equal civil rights since as he lived, he served as the spokesman for the Black Muslim movement that vehemently rejected the white Americans as he advocated for the supremacy of the black over the whites.

The influence of Malcolm X death was that in the last years of his life he victoriously finished a spiritual journey to the internationalism of orthodox Islam. However, his assassination came in earlier before he had adequate time to finish his political journey, but till his time of death, he was highly committed to Black Nationalism which he considered as the effort to establish strong black-controlled institutions that operated to empower the Black community. His impact in the last months of his life before his death was that African Americans should stand against the capitalist system. The last months of his life showed how much of influence Malcolm X was to the blacks because he was also seen to denounce the U.S connection with Vietnam and needed the African Americans to create with the Third World countries solidarity movements. Malcolm X death had an impact on the blacks as even activists like Ossie Davis acclaimed Malcolm X as our living black manhood who opted to die for the blacks (Powell, 372) It comes after Ossie also saw the much influence Malcolm X had on the intellectual shifts and freedom movement that changed from integration to nationalism and embarked to a more modified integration.

Fifty years down since Malcolm X died, but still his legacy lives because he was one figure who appeared on lists with people like Martin Luther King. Malcolm X was influential in the struggle that blacks underwent to attain equality and even after his death the evolution of the battle was evident. In Malcolm X life he seemed to have evolved from a troubled young teen to an advocate who discerned black separatism to an activist of human rights. After his death similarly, the legacy still is evident as he was renown of the reputation of a dangerous agitator to now an American icon. The Black Community even after his death still have the Malcolm X belief that "blacks lives matter" even if the universe thinks otherwise and that there is the possibility to establish change that is explicitly clear even today. Malcolm death saw off journalist Alex Haley completing the Autobiography to recount of the life and acts Malcolm had accomplished as an activist for the blacks. The Autobiography retells of Malcolm X life that defied the policy in various ways as he stro...