What in the world happened between 1965 and today? I watched Malcolm X yesterday and the older I get the more and more confused I am about the state of black people. My introduction to Malcolm X was when my dad gave me the Autobiography of Malcolm X when I was 11. During this time (the early 90s) there was massive excitement about the upcoming Spike Lee Malcom X movie. I was determined to read the entire book before the movie came out just to be able to compare it. As an 11 year old little girl I could only comprehend and appreciate so much of the real struggle and the massive influence of the Nation of Islam. I had a few Nation members in my family but the vast majority are protestant Christian which I was raised to believe was right (but never believed it, sorry grandparents). I can honestly say that the autobiography opened my eyes to other religions and the idea of spirituality. Watching the movie again through adult eyes I both wonder and know why Malcolm X is not regarded in the same circles as Martin Luther King.
I'm not going to go through the legacy of X vs. MLK because we should all know a great deal about both, if we don't we need to read!! Not taking anything away from MLK and what he did for blacks but I now understand why he's held in such high esteem as opposd to Malcolm. Martin supported assimilation in other words forced integration. Through all of his preaching on morality and ethics Martin still embodied one of the worst black male stereotypes, sexually promiscuous. Martin wanted blacks to be accepted by the white establishment whereas Malcolm wanted the white establishment to accept blacks.
Martin was also Christian which still today is the embodiment of a white lord and saviour. Christianity was and is used to enslave black people. At the end of the movie when Malcolmn is about to be murdered a black woman tells him that she knows who he is and he shouldn't pay those people "no nevermind" because Jesus will protect him, is classic. It really shows how black people as a whole still to this day believe and worship a religion that has for centuries oppressed them. Not pooing on Christians just stating a fact. To this day I have a great deal of respect for black people who think outside of what they are supposed to be. Black (american) muslims, jews, buddhists, scientologists even Mormons impress me. Because believe me being a black non-Christian opens you up to a lot of negativity. And it takes strength to follow what your spiritual mind tells you is rights even if it's adverse to what society and your family teaches. My mom recently asked me when i was going to officially get married to the fiance. I told her eventually, because according to DC we're common law. She said, I know but you have to have a ceremony so we'll be married in the eyes of the lord. After I busted out laughing in her face, I was like come on now, neither me nor Demetrius believe in "the lord", second when has she known me to ever do anything simply to appease other people, third there are plenty of people married in the eyes of "The Lord" that cheat, disrespect and abuse each other. But our relationship filled with love, admiration, fidelity and respect is lacking, riiiiiiiiiiiiiight.
Society tells you that you're supposed to be a lot of things, regardless of your race. As a black person who was never completely brainwashed I've never automatically believed what I was told. Malcolm believed that black people needed to help ourselves before we could ever hope to be helped by others. Which I agree with. Hence my complete and utter disdain for the demorcratic party and their social welfare programs, that further enslave us to the government. Black people now have higher rates of unemployment today than they did during the 50s, 60s and 70s. It sure as hell has nothing to do with racism and it isn't solely due to illegal immigrants stealing our jobs. We're economically worse off and our communities are the most violent in the nation. It is not the fault of the white man!
Yes the "establishment" still makes us believe that we are hoodlums, promiscuous, violent heathens. But we are the ones who prove them correct. They call us ugly, ignorant coons. We have BET, flava flav, new york, supahead, lil' kim, souljah boi. We dress up like the worst stereotypes imaginable, get long blond weaves, nose jobs, colored contacts but hate on the beauty that is being black. Whether you are light or dark like Q-tip said "black is black". We don't all need to go natural and wear dashikis because we are also very much American. But there is a difference. Where did the beauty go? Beauty isn't having your double D's and ghetto booty on full display to make men desire you. Beauty is skinny or plus sized. Beauty is strength, class, passion, intelligence, respect.
What happened to being black and proud? What happened to the youth groups that marched for real change? What happened to real leadership? They got bought. Neither Malcolm nor Martin lived the life of luxury. How can the current crop of religious based leadership preach lifting oneself up when they drive bentleys and wear thousand dollar suits? With everything going on in poor communities across this country wouldn't the $45,000 for an outfit be put to better use for payin the outrageous heating bills for the seniors in the congregation? Helping getting the AIDS medications for the sick? Who isn't judged by their clothes their hair their car? So where are we now, in debt, dumb as bricks and totally lost.
The only way to "fix" the problem is to fix the source. It's an unending cycle. The pictures of Malcolm and Martin with their wives and children have been replaced by Diddy and his tribe. The honest hard work of painters, carpenters, maids, laborers has been supplanted by the easy money of the drug dealer and "rapper". The protecting your family and community has turned into DC and PG county. Instead of listening with open ears to Malcolm wish peace unto you we have every hip-hop performer (except Talib, Common and a few others) shouting fuck them niggas, kill them niggas, rob them niggas. Don't tell me we aren't brainwashed.
The hate speech to us, by us, for us, and about us is front and center. We all want a better life. We want peace, we want love, we want equality. There are many ways for us to throw off the shackles and attain it. It has to start with the individual. We can't get there with the current state of affairs. We can start by learning, listening and opening our minds to REAL ideas. We can't be close minded. Having a mind of your own and believing in something contrary to what you are taught is difficult but I believe that as black people we can do it, we have no choice.
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