Social Justice
Martin vs. Malcolm: The Olive Branch and The Arrow
35 years before Biggie vs. Tupac, and generations after Dubois vs. Garvey &Washington, the two leading African American minds, of their generation, engaged in an exhibition of philosophies.
The Arrow
Malcolm X, formerly known as “Detroit Red”, formerly known as Malcolm Little, later known as Malcolm El-Hajj Malik Shabazz grew up with an existential understanding of injustice. Stigmatized by poverty and haunted by the pervasive demonic vestige of racial violence perpetrated against his family, for their UNIA activities, Malcolm X’s indignation was quite righteous. His father’s horrendous death followed by his mother’s loss of sanity and committal must have deeply affected him. He was primed to be a revolutionary.
The picture painted of Malcolm is a dark one. The colors are black and burgundy. The tone of his speech and the message of the nation he was mislead into seem to prove this, especially to those who don’t care to disprove it. Yes, Malcolm was angry. His anger was shared by millions of African Americans. Anger clouds the mind but it is a secondary emotion brought on by the primary emotion of fear. “Anger is the natural emotion created in a fight-or-flight situation by the physiology of your mind and body. When you sense a threat your mind generates fear and anger. The fear you generate is part of a flight response from your physiology. Anger is the emotional energy you generate for the fight against that perceived threat. What can be confusing is that your mind creates fear and anger even when the threat is just imagined.”
The threat that Malcolm was reacting to was all too real. African Americans, especially African American males, were being lynched, imprisoned, and sentenced to lives of poverty. Many African Americans chose to flea from racism by standing still but, much like King, Malcolm made a decision to fight. Unlike King, he was not mentored in the school of non-violence. As Louis Farrakhan related, “Brother Malcolm had a gangsterlike past.”(Marable) In the streets of places like Harlem and Detroit fear is illegal. Men die because they don’t desire to be thought a “punk”. Malcolm was no punk.
Real stories. Real impact. Straight to your inbox. Join thousands others. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter today!
Follow us on Facebook, X, TikTok, Instagram
Boston’s Black Market Nubian faces April 30 closure as community mobilizes to save cultural hub
Man charged in March crash that killed beloved New Jersey mother
Ashlee Jenae’s father launches GoFundMe to help family bury late influencer
Pregnant rapper and nursing student Qualeisha “Siditty” Barnes fatally shot in Atlanta
Kyren Lacy’s parents file wrongful death lawsuit against Louisiana State Police
Shaquille O’Neal pays for funeral costs for 12‑year‑old Jada West, Georgia officials say
New Jersey police reach $4 million settlement with children of woman killed by ex-husband, a former police officer
Asbury Park High School: Crossover event esports and history with Tina Watson
Jury awards California woman $15 million after supervisor called her n-word
GoFundMe launched for Cleveland deacon recovering after brutal attack outside church
OWN greenlights first-ever ‘Belle Collective’ spinoff Belle Collective: Birmingham
Hazel Scott’s legacy returns to Harlem in free outdoor film screening
Olympic Gymnast Frederick Richard sets world record, raises $50K for Ugandan youth
Renee Ferguson, trailblazing investigative journalist, dies at 75
“AfroPoP Digital Shorts” returns to the land with “Sweet Samara,” climate and abolitionist film
-
Crime & Justice2 weeks agoGoFundMe launched for Cleveland deacon recovering after brutal attack outside church
-
Crime & Justice2 weeks agoKansas City woman shot five times during Uber ride
-
Community1 week agoDallas barber creates sensory‑friendly haircut experiences for neurodivergent children
-
Community1 week agoGoFundMe launched for family of 7‑month‑old girl killed in Brooklyn shooting
-
Social Justice2 weeks agoWashington D.C. Airbnb squatter sues homeowner for $500,000
-
Crime & Justice2 weeks agoFlorida Vice Mayor found slain at home was sister of Parkland survivor who died by suicide
-
In Memoriam2 weeks agoDee Freeman, veteran actress known for The Young and the Restless and Sistas, dies at 66
-
Community1 week agoArkansas mother fights for her life as she awaits rare dual organ transplant
-
Culture2 weeks agoOWN to premiere “One Golden Summer”, an award-winning film about a Chicago little league team’s rise and fall
-
Science2 weeks agoVictor Glover makes history on Artemis II as crew travels toward the moon
Keith Covin
August 29, 2013 at 11:50 pm
Nice article, I am sure that both King and Malcolm must be rolling in their graves to see the preempted negative state of African Americans today.