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Malcolm X on Racism
Racism has been an issue in the world for centuries; even though it is not as bad as it used
be; it is still a social problem. Malcolm X was born hating the white man just as he thought the
white man hated him, and he died believing the same. Everything throughout Malcolm’s life was
to diminish the white man and to make the colored people look as if they had been victimized
since the beginning of history, however even though this statement is fairly true, he exaggerates
the intentions of the white people. Malcolm thinks the white people are only trying to use the
colored people when they were actually only trying to bring them along with the rest of the
world instead of being left behind while everyone else prospered.
From the view of Malcolm X it is easy to understand his hatred for the white man; he
lived in a time where the colored people were America’s big issue and segregation was
happening all over the country. The Ku Klux Klan was a big threat to colored people throughout
the early 1900’s and this made them feel like everyone was threatening them not just the one
group that was causing all of the problems. They were going around hanging the colored people
and burning crosses in their yards, and other various things that showed their true hatred for the
colored people. Not very many people were in this movement for civil rights until the late
nineteen forties early nineteen fifties and then people started to join the movement to end
segregation and racial hate in America. Segregation was so bad that they were separating the
colored people at schools, public transportation and even public water fountains, this was most
likely the biggest problem for colored people, they felt like they were not being treated as if they
were humans but rather some type of animal. When the colored people tried to fight this power;
it was just about impossible for them because they would be met with tear gas and lines of police
with riot shields. Even though Malcolm X thought that he could fight back, the colored people
were always outnumbered and there was no way that they would be able to win with violence,
instead they would have to use the power of their voices and speech.
Malcolm X having taught himself to read and expanded his vocabulary on his own made
him a great speaker and the way that he spoke moved people and not only colored people but
whites as well. Elijah Muhammad played a big role in helping Malcolm figure out that he had
more potential than he was showing and inspired him to do more with his life than he thought
that he could. The two of them moved thousands of people to join the civil rights movement and
protest the act of racism in America; this really gave a great push in the right direction. Having
said this they also made the white men act out as well, and causing the death of more colored
people, but their deaths were not in vain it is because of them that America is where it is at today.
