Malcolm X Oppression Vs Oppression

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Why has mankind conform to oppress each other? Are we not equal; do we not have or deserve equal rights as the man next to us? Is not everyone born with the same freedom? The answers to these questions may seem trivial to many people, but there are individuals who would have differing opinions. Rather, those same individuals may cling to their beliefs as strongly as a devout christian is to his religion. In order to understand how oppression comes to a realization, we must analyse both the oppressor and the oppressed. We must examine how these two opposing forces manifest themselves in society and how oppression changes the very same society from which it originated. The twentieth century gave rise to many political and social movements that…show more content…
His home burned down by the Ku Klux Klan and a couple years later, his father was murdered by what is believed to have been committed by racist individuals. The injustices he experienced shaped him and his beliefs. Then, he encountered the teachings of the Black Muslims which further solidified his beliefs (textbook, x). During his speech in 1964, “Address to a Meeting in New York”, Malcolm X illustrates what he is and what he believes. He declares, “I’m still a Muslim, but I’m also a nationalist, my economic philosophy is black nationalism, my social philosophy is black nationalism...” in order to form an identity(Malcolm, 1964). This identity encourages the black community to find their identity but also to form their beliefs politically and socially. Once they have set built their political and social beliefs, they can help each other to improve their lives. Once they understand who they are, they can work together to achieve equality. Realization of their identity is the first step the oppressed must take in order to fight the oppressor. However, unlike King, Malcolm did not believe in a nonviolent approach to accomplish his goals. In his 1964 speech, he clearly states that his goals, the black community goals, can be reached without any violence; however, if the state at which they find themselves does unchanged, there will be violence. “The new generation of black people that grown . . .that if there is to be bleeding, it should be reciprocal--bleeding on both sides,” clearly illustrates Malcolm’s
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