Civil Rights

            When it comes to standing up against evil and injustice, it is hard to think of three more significant human rights activists than Marin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and John F. Kennedy. All three of these men knew that something needed to change in terms of the way African-Americans were treated in the 1960's and in the preceding years. All three of them have different approaches on how equality and the end of hatred can be achieved, but they all believe that it is necessary and that it must happen without procrastination. .
             Malcolm X's speech at Washington Heights on Easter Sunday spoke of achieving racial equality in a manner far different from Marin Luther King Jr. and Kennedy. His speech points the finger directly at the white men who "kidnapped" Africans and brought them to America against their will. Malcolm X expresses some pretty far out ideas such as converting 22 million black people in this country to share views as radical as his when it comes becoming free. Although life was hard for the black man during the 60's, it is hard to think that the majority of African-Americans would be willing to leave everything behind and move to back to Africa as Malcolm X says they should. I believe that Malcolm is jumping the gun by implying that hope for equality in this great country is lost and that they should just give up and move back to Africa. It is hard for me to argue against Malcolm's claim because I have not experienced injustice as he had. It is easy for a black person to say that they need to move back to Africa because for 310 years they have been slaves at the hands of the wealthy white landowners. .
             A good point that Malcolm recognizes is that the black man is not simply an American. As he puts it, "Our forefathers weren't the Pilgrims. We didn't land on Plymouth Rock, the rock was landed on us." By making statements like this, he is trying to get his followers to realize that they cannot accept the title of American because they have yet to be treated as such or given the same rights that Americans take for granted.