The Civil Rights Movement

The civil rights movement was an epic stand by the African Americans against racism and discrimination by the whites. The movement united all the blacks across cities, towns and villages to tackle and counter racism. The blacks lived in hardship and had a poor lifestyle due to lack of opportunity and a deficient economy. African Americans always thought they were inferior and the whites were superior. This changed when leaders such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King stepped up to educate and inspire the African Americans to fight for their rights and battle for freedom.

The battle for freedom caused many changes. Youths of other ethnicity, such as white and Hispanics began to absorb Black culture such as slang and hip hop. The Black middle class were treated much better however the working class were generally punished as they were less educated. Malcolm X discussed the difference between the Negros who work in the field and the Negros that work in the house. Malcolm was associated as the field Negro that generally intimidated the white ruling class. He used the power of words to put his point across and portray the truth to the African Americans. Malcolm was determined to bring a change and wanted the racism against the blacks to stop.

In my opinion Malcolm X was one of the great leaders and a hero that inspired African Americans to unite against the whites and stop racism. His fighting spirit demonstrated what freedom and equality meant to the African Americans. Not only was he intelligent and expressive, but fearless. The Organization of Afro-American Unity, which declared to encourage peace and tranquilty among all cultures and races, was started by Malcolm X; this ensured that African Americans united across the world. Moreover Malcolm X advocated black pride, economic self-reliance, and encouraged other blacks to enter politics to make a difference. Personally I felt the autobiography portrayed the racism and injustice the African Americans had to suffer. Malcolm X did not come from a rich background hence had lived in hardship His aspirations were different to any other African American as he felt free and unbound by white racism suppressed on the blacks. Reading his auto biography I interpret the civil rights movement as a road to freedom and a fight against injustice and discrimination.

African American Muslims like Malcolm X, Elijah Mohammad formed the Nation of Islam. The nation of Islam had made significant contributions to the civil rights movement. Similar to Harlem Renaissance the Nation of Islam sought to change attitudes of blacks about themselves and their place in society. They also highlighted that the Blacks were mislead by public schools with intent of preserving white domination. The Nation of Islam thought that blacks were superior and referred to the whites as blue eyed devils and blamed white politics for supremacy of white class. The nation of Islam did not play a major contribution in the civil rights movement however they did inspire the blacks to be more confident and convert a few African Americans to Islam and promote justice and righteousness. The organization promoted self defence and would describe the fight for freedom as a revolution which repelled the public as it was interpreted as an extreme idea. Malcolm X was generally pressurized and brainwashed by Elijah Muhammad to hate all whites and ignore a non violent, peaceful method to the road of freedom. He initially did not believe in the civil rights movement which decreased his audience numbers; however this made no difference to him as long as he was true to himself and spoke about matters which were important to him. This was one of the major reasons why the Nation of Islam could not influence as many people to fight with them against white supremacy.

In conclusion after reading the autobiography of Malcolm X I was able to understand his passion for freedom and equality. His childhood as described in the book had reflected his views about whites and had led him towards drugs and crime. Subjected to racism since he was a child, Malcolm X wanted to fight against the white race and against racism. During his time in prison Malcolm relished his real talent which allowed him to contribute in the civil rights movement. After leaving the Nation of Islam and attending the holy pilgrimage, Malcolm decided to really free and help the African Americans by joining hands with other leading organizations and civil right leaders that promote integration and peace. Overall Malcolm X was a hero to me and other African Americans as her contributed to their freedoms and showed them how to fight for their rights.