African American Women

Malcolm X was a great Civil Rights leader that was ahead of his time, dealing with the inequalities and the black struggle of the 1960's. The 1960's was an era that defined the black race as a lower status than the white race merely based on color. Malcolm X defined race through his Muslim religion believing that blacks would one day reign supreme if only they accepted Allah as God, took Islam as their only religion, and followed the honorable Elijah Muhammad as their messenger. He also believed that the White race was ungodly and they were doomed for their unjust rule unable to accept Allah because of there evil nature. Clearly X's definition of race was that the Black race was "good" and "godly", and the White race was wrong and evil. This idea of race was taken from author David Howard -Pitney's book, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and the Struggle of the 1950s and the 1960s A Brief History with Documents. The main source document of these ideas is based on one of "Malcolm's classic, fiery denunciations, as spokesperson for the Nation of Islam, of white America and the Western word" (Pitney113). Called "From God's Judgments of White America". The strengths of Malcolm X 's approach towards his definition of race appealed to Black America by giving hope to the struggle of the civil rights movement. However, the weakness of his approach was one-sided alienating the white race, non-violent black people taking part in the Civil Rights struggle, and all other religions besides Islam. Malcolm X's intended audience for his views on race were the American people of the 1960's during the civil rights movement and all future generations of America. Malcolm X's views both fit into and countered the views of the time.

The strengths of Malcolm X's approach towards how he defined race appealed to Black America by giving an inkling of hope to a hopeless people with nothing to live for. "Malcolm X encouraged his audiences to take pride in their African heritage and to consider armed self-defense rather than relying solely on nonviolence" (Faragher 558). Another strength to the authors approach is how he up-lifted the people of the struggle with his clever and witty speeches. For example, in a speech he states "The black race here in North America is in extremely bad condition .You show me a black man who isn't an extremist and I'll show one who needs psychiatric attention" (Faragher 558). Audiences fell in love with him because he did not hold his tongue stating exactly what he felt. "Malcolm X pointed to a new black culture consciousness that celebrated black history, black culture, the African heritage, and black self-sufficiency" (Faragher 588).

The Weaknesses of Malcolm X's approach towards his definition of race was how one-sided he was in alienating the white race, non-violent black people taking part in the Civil Rights struggle and all other religions besides Islam. Malcolm X felt that the entire white race was the devil and doomed to hell. "White America is doomed! Death and devastating destruction hang at this very moment in the skies over America" (Pintney116). With statements such as the entire white race is doomed, X is offending the "good" white people turning them away from his view and definition of race. He also often offended black non-violent people in the struggle calling them names and ridiculing them for there approach towards racism in America, this turned blacks against his definition of race as well. "Most of the Negroes you see running around..... Talking about "love everybody".... Don't have any love whatsoever for their own kind... White people pay King.... King is the best weapon that the white man, who wants to brutalize Negroes, has ever gotten in this country (Pitney 117). X also turned other religious groups away from his definition race. "Brothers and sister the man has brainwashed us black people to fasten our gaze upon a blond-hared, blue -eyed Jesus! We're worshiping a Jesus that doesn't even look like us! Messenger of Allah, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Now, just think of this. The blond-haired, blue-eyed white man taught and me to worship a white Jesus, and shout and sing pray to this God that's his God, the white man's God. The white man has taught us to shout and sing and pray until we die, to wait until death, for some dreamy heaven-in-the-hereafter, when we're dead, while this white man has his milk and honey in the streets