RASQACHEPEDIA: MALCOLM X

RASQACHEPEDIA: MALCOLM X

I was recently at a friend's 65th birthday and as an ice breaker for her short speech she jokingly remarked that after all this time she hadn't figured out how traffic works. A few people yelled out their answers, and then I chimed in with mine, "cowardice." I explained that everyone is afraid to step on the gas until they see the person in front of them moving, but if we all had the courage to go forward when we saw the light turn green then we could, in theory, all proceed at once so long as we were sharp about when to use the breaks. Malcolm had the vision to see a few spaces of where he and the people sitting in traffic were and that the cars were already moving, so he was blairing the horn and sticking his head out the window yelling, "C'mon! Lets move it already!"

What a tragic story, a prodigal son destined to fall even with the focus, grace and impact as one would think humanly possible. Malcolm was so powerful because he had two rebirths in a short lifetime. One can only dream about what he would say if he were alive today. In times like these, when the sheep are so fearful of the wolves who watch the pigs in their big mansions, we need a couple of fierce lions to guard the herd not lay down. We need a warrior that is willing to lead from the front and follow through on an organized plan of action. We need a leader who will look at the world for what it is and not be afraid to look at their enemy as their neighbor. 

Malcolm X was a man who drew his strength from his convictions. He didn't need anyone's permission to say what was on his mind because he wasn't just speaking for himself. Malcolm was looking at the bigger picture and saying what needed to be said. It was only until after he visited Africa and The Middle East, Mecca in particular, that he was able to broaden his perspective even bigger and broke the illusion of a purely black vs. white idea of good vs. evil (so to speak). And with greater conviction came an even greater sense of duty and drive to spread his new ideas with more tenacity than ever before, even challenging his former mentor, Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. He thought there views closed minded and wished to show Black activists that there was another way to stand up for themselves. It was unfortunate that he had to prove his point by dying at the hands of his former organization, who were curiously more threatened by Malcolm's ideas than the white people they claimed to hate so much.