Malcolm X and Civil Rights as Human Rights
Introduction:
Martin Luther King is often viewed as one of the great symbols of the Civil Rights movement and a great symbol of America. However in his speech “Beyond Vietnam” it becomes apparent that he is not the simple American Patriot that he is often viewed as. Similarly the Civil rights movement can not be merely viewed as a show of patriotism and the true American principles. As Nikhil Pal Singh points out in his book Black is a Country the Civil Rights movement was less of a movement towards American ideals but a movement of Black people moving towards equality.
Shing challenges the idea of a Civil Rights movement as being dominated by King, by emphasizing the role of various organizing groups like the Black Panthers, SNCC, as well as the NAACP. He also emphasizes the global nature of the Civil Rights movement beyond King’s relation with Gandhi and the nonviolence movement in India.
One of group that exemplifies the global nature of the Civil Rights movement is the Nation of Islam and Malcolm X, and the work done to unify Black people globaly. Malcolm X followed in the footsteps of revolutionaries like Marcus Garvey he believed in the ideas of Pan Americanism. He moved to bring African culture to African Americans by promoting Islam to Americans, he often held rallies to promote union amongst the Black community and demand equality. However Malcolm X work with the Civil Rights movement is not limited to his work with Islam. His speech “The Ballot or the Bullet'' shows his work in relation to the American Civil Rights movement.
Documents:
Document 1:
Document one is “The Ballot or the Bullet'' an example of one of Malcolm X’s speeches where he shows his commitment to creating a unified African American culture that expands beyond faith. This speech is often regarded as one of Malcolm X’s most important speeches as it was one of his earliest speeches regarding the Civil Rights movement. The speech came less than a month after Malcolm X separated from the Nation of Islam. In his speech Malcolm X urges African Americans to frame the Civil Rights movement not as a Civil issue but as an issue of human rights, to gain more support. In addition Malcolm X explains the power using democracy to make change through the form of the ballot and if that fails use radical methods, the bullet, to create change.
Image 1:
This image shows Malcolm X at a rally holding a headline from the newspaper Muhammad Speaks saying “Our Freedom Can’t Wait”. The Image shows the social and political roles of Malcolm X. Additionally the newspaper Muhammad Speaks was an example of African American Culture, the newspaper followed people like Muhammad Ali as well as key events during the Civil Rights movement. Muhammad Speaks is also an example of one of the key ideas that Malcolm X that he outlines in his speech, the idea of the creation of a separate Black culture and community.
Teaching:
References:
1. Sun, Vancouver, and Vancouver Sun. “The Real Political Activist Malcolm X Shown at a Black Muslim Rally in New York City in 1963.” www.edmontonjournal.com, May 3, 2012. http://www.edmontonjournal.com/real political activist Malcolm shown Black Muslim rally York City 1963/6254144/story.html.
2. X, Malcolm. “The Ballot or the Bullet.” Digital History, 2019. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=3&psid=3624.
Digital Research Process
