Malcolm X

On researching for the midterm, I found it extremely interesting to learn more about both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. I never really knew much about Malcolm X in the past, but have always thought of him in a negative light because of the illegal acts he engaged in throughout the course of his life. Whilst growing up, I was also taught that he had been bad for society, and although I dont agree with many of the actions he engaged in, I would say he did do great things for the African Americans here in this country. I don’t agree with the illegal activities he took part in, but I think that his strong voice enabled people to come together and more openly discuss racism in this country. I think that he had a huge impact on the working class black Americans, as they were able to relate to the problems he discussed, and I think that his speeches showed that even people with little money, and a poor education could still get themselves heard on both a national and international level. Overall I would therefore say that he had as much influence as MJK on getting the racism issue heard by the masses, and I would say that he probably appealed more to the lower classed blacks, simply because they could relate to him better. Therefore, although his actions should never be condemned, I think we should try to look back at him in a somewhat positive light, just simply for the role he played in eventually getting more equality to be established between the races.

I did find a number of good websites that discussed the life and actions of Malcolm X, and therefore I have attached the links below

http://www.africawithin.com/malcolmx/malcolm_bio.htm
http://www.malcolm-x.org/