“When I was sent of errands, I always took my book with me, and by going one part of my errand quickly, I found time to get a lesson before my return” (Douglass, pg 115). This passage shows that even though his mistress stopped his education, he persisted in becoming literate. Malcolm X was a public speaker and a civil rights activist in the 1900s. Even though he went to school, education for African-Americans at the time could hardly be counted as one compared to education for white people. In his autobiography, he writes about his time in prison.
This bible verse refers to a time before the Transatlantic Slave Trade when being a child was joyful and playful time. But, after reading this book I was overwhelmed and shocked with the reality of life for the enslaved children and youth. The extensive research eliminates any myths that may linger from the lack of past historians not making the information available to average readers. The children of this book were treated like adults and/or livestock. There is no doubt that King want to set the record straight about African and African American children and their families.
W.E.B Dubois was always a strong believer in integration. He grew up in Massachusetts so he was oblivious to the harsh reality of racism in the south. But when he attended Fisk University in Tennessee he became much acquainted with the idea of how difficult African American life was in the south. In 1905 he founded an organization called the Niagara Movement which quickly developed into the N.A.A.C.P. The purpose of this organization was to fight against discrimination and the iniquities faced by African Americans in everyday society and the military.
In Malcolm X's "A Homemade Education," Malcolm discusses his struggles with the language of literature. Being in prison, he explains how his interest and determination to be "able to read and understand"(717) literature led him to a freedom he had never had before. He leaped head first into reading while broadening his vocabulary copying the entire dictionary from which he "also learned of people and places and events from history"(716). As he followed the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, he became interested in black history and slavery. Due to slavery's impact on Malcolm, he became a minister of Mr. Muhammad’s; gaining knowledge that would lead him to fighting for African American's human and civil rights.
Centuries later the Negro community was still riddled by racial injustice and oppression. These contradictions to the original visions of the founding fathers were still very much in existence when Dr. King made his speech. A scholar who graduated and received a bachelor degree in sociology from Morehouse College, Martin Luther King’s speech, “I Have a Dream” was carefully crafted to encourage and motivate the predominantly Negro audience to take a stand for an equal democracy. “This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off… Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.” King’s tone when he delivered his speech was derived from the cadence and rhythms of a preacher. His speech consisted of various literary elements such as figurative language and repetitive phrases that painted a vivid mural in the mind of the listener: “My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
“Learning to Read” by Malcolm X Summary From an Articulate Street Hustler to one of the most well spoken black men in his era, Malcolm X explains how he became motivated to begin his studies in the essay, “Learning to Read”. He had spent the majority of his twenties in Norfolk Prison Colony School, where he began his initial studies, “Many who today hear me somewhere in prison, or on television, or those who read something I’ve said, will think I went to school far beyond the eighth grade.” Before being confined to Norfolk Prison, his studies hadn’t progressed much further than the eighth grade. Him not knowing how to read and write created immense struggles, which led to his motivations of learning to read and write. His prison studies
Karenga says that us as Black people need to acquire this knowledge not just for knowledge sake, but for human sake. The knowledge African Americans could gain through Black Studies would be the key to taking all of this oppression we have endured for hundreds of years in America and turning it into success and prosperity for the community. The knowledge we learn must be taken back to the communities and shared with the masses that need it most. According to Karenga, and history, we are the fathers and mothers of humanity and human civilization and by understanding Black Studies, we are contributing to the full understanding of humanity itself. In an
To pin point the beginning of the civil rights movement depends on who and what is being discussed. In my essay we are going to start with the 1950’s. In the 1950’s the Martin Luther King Jr. transformed into the leader of the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr. encouraged non violent protests to get the government to understand the equal rights African Americans were being denied. After the emancipation of slavery in the 1800’s, African Americans have struggled to be treated with the same equal rights as Europeans.
In this speech, Dr. King begs and pleads for equality throughout the American states. One of the most important circumstances in which there must be racial equality is education. Before the slave era began, there existed a plethora of outstanding black universities and public education facilities in Africa. African students were presented the opportunity to study mathematics, science, history, and numerous other academic disciplines (Lusane 7). The introduction of slavery to the United States of America stole these opportunities from millions of African children.
Malcolm X as an Activist During the 1960’s, there was one man who really stood out about expressing the hardships of being an African American. This man was Malcolm X. Ultimately, Malcolm X believed to the fullest extent, that African American’s could not reach their full potential in society because of white racism, and the historical events leading from slavery in the United States. However, due to the events that happened in his childhood, Malcolm X tries to reverse this feeling of victimization throughout his life and tries to become a positive activist for all African Americans. Throughout his life and up until the day he dies, Malcolm X tries to pursue this ultimate goal of seeing white racism in a positive light and making something good come out of the events that happened in his life.