Yesterday, May 19th, was the birthday of the late Malcolm X. He would have been 99 years old if he had lived. But, he was assassinated at the young age of 39 in front of his wife and children in February 1965. He was a man who spoke out against racism in America with a tone that was considered “militant” during that time. Now, in 2024, and with all that happens around the world each day, what was called militant then is nothing now. We live in a world where there continues to be hate towards one another. As the years go by and more cultures mixed in love, the problem somehow continues.
Malcolm X was a man who grew from humble beginnings. He lost his father when he was young to racist group that killed him. Later, his mother was institutionalized after never fully recovering from his father’s death. He and his siblings then found themselves orphaned. Later on in his young adult years, he lived a life of crime that included some jail time. While in prison, he turned his life around, joining the Muslim faith and the Nation of Islam upon his release. He then devoted himself to fighting for a greater purpose in his own way.
Each day, someone goes through a difficult period in their life they may not be proud of. But it’s how you redefine yourself that matters. When Malcolm X started his path in this direction, he was proud of himself. In having this energy for change and equality, others became jealous of his accomplishments and his mission. He still walked with his head high and repurposed himself once again as El-Hajj Malik El- Shabazz. In the end, those who saw him as an enemy took his life away. They didn’t want to see him accomplish his mission.
Below are some great quotes from a man who doesn’t get much recognition. for what he set out to achieve. As the people who still have life, we can continue to lead a path of equality for all.
- “There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance next time.”
- “Any time you beg another man to set you free, you will never be free. Freedom is something that you have to do for yourselves.”
- “It is a time for martyrs now, and if I am to be one, it will be for the cause of brotherhood. That’s the only thing that can save this country.”
- “You don’t have to be a man to fight for freedom. All you have to do is to be an intelligent human being.”
- “You’re not to be so blind with patriotism that you can’t face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it”
- “We black men have a hard enough time in our own struggle for justice, and already have enough enemies as it is, to make the drastic mistake of attacking each other and adding more weight to an already unbearable load.”
- “If violence is wrong in America, violence is wrong abroad. If it is wrong to be violent defending black women and black children and black babies and black men, then it is wrong for America to draft us, and make us violent abroad in defense of her. And if it is right for America to draft us, and teach us how to be violent in defense of her, then it is right for you and me to do whatever is necessary to defend our own people right here in this country.”
- “If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.”
- “True Islam taught me that it takes all of the religious, political, economic, psychological, and racial ingredients, or characteristics, to make the Human Family and the Human Society complete.”