on Malcolm X

May 19, 1925—February 21, 1965

I wanted to take this time to acknowledge and celebrate the life of the late Malcolm X. I met him in 1988, at the Far Rockaway High School lunchroom. My boy Devon had a copy of his autobiography and schooled me like no teacher in the 9^th grade could. I was initially inspired by Malcolm’s defiance of white authority and his credo of self-defense. As I got older I read about his life, and in time learned from those who learned from him. I think many of us were drawn to his keen analysis of race and class, and ultimately his steadfast commitment to rebuild community through a fusion of spiritual and militant organizing. Over the last few years I’ve been thinking about the inner courage Malcolm possessed, a courage that made him fearless of change, beginning with himself. I guess at this age, I’m starting to pay more and more attention to the human soul and its ability to transgress. Throughout his life Malcolm transgressed on so many occasions, at times placing him at odds with the very same community he sought to defend. But he could never turn his back on the truth of humanity. And this is where his beauty as a man lies. The capacity to seek the truth through transparent change, no matter the stakes. 

Comments

flag

Posted February 21, 2008 at 09:58

It's always a moment of thought that occurs anytime something regarding him comes along. If he couldn't do anything, he definitely will make you think about your situation and what you can do in the very position you're in and how to improve it. Peace...

By Divine0313

flag

Posted February 21, 2008 at 07:17

VeeBravo, Very good piece on Malcolm X brother... We need a few Hip-Hop Malcolm X's to do exactly what you said he did, "Question our own culture!" Just because we've always protected it, doesn't mean we can't speak out against the injustices of the culture many of us love... I for one will no longer make excuses for the culture... One Love, Ivan Sanchez

By IvanSanchez

Post new comment

Comment: *

• Filtered words will be replaced with the filtered version of the word.
• Potentially problem-causing HTML tags are filtered.
• Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
• Allowed HTML tags: <p> <br> <strong> <em> <ul> <li>

More information about formatting options

CAPTCHA

This is to prevent spam and ensure you are in fact human.

What is the fourth word in the phrase "eho odaqil acemaca ajonuq acik"?: *