Malcolm X and Black Nationalism - Admission/Application Essay Example

 Black Nationalism refers to advocacy geared towards the separation of the black people from the white race to form a self-government for blacks. During the 1960s, Black Nationalism advocated for separatism, economic self-sufficiency, and racial solidarity (Jolly, p 146-147). During this period, different leaders used different approaches in tackling the issue of Black Nationalism. Dr. Martin Luther King was a civil rights leader who advocated for racial equality by the use of nonviolent means. On the other hand, Malcolm X advocated for violent means where necessary to fight for Black Nationalism. Consequentially, this led to the formation of various parties such as Organization of Afro-American Unity and Black Panthers among others. Therefore, the paper will seek to look at Malcolm X’s advocacy methods for Black Nationalism and the reasons why it would be appropriate to work for Malcolm X’s Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAUU). Malcolm X mainly advocated for the separation between the whites and the blacks using violent means where necessary. This means he rejected calls by the other civil rights to embrace integration and racial equality by use of nonviolent means. Born Malcolm little, he is described as one of the most controversial figures who made the Nation of Islam famous. He was one of the most eloquent speakers for the Black Muslims. This was because the Black Muslims were living in poverty and were facing racial discrimination (Jolly, p 148). Malcolm X condemned the white people and used statements that referred to the use of bullets if ballots could not work. In this effect, he meant that if the Black People could not be given the rights to vote, then the use of guns would be appropriate. Being an organizer for the United Negro Improvement Association led by Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X gained publicity by frequently attacking Martin Luther King concerning his method of Black Nationalism advocacy. In his views, Malcolm X advocated for self-defense by the Black people against the Whites. During this period, he thought black political power could only be achieved through violent means. Therefore, Malcolm opted for the use of force to achieve racial freedom. Additionally, Malcolm regarded discrimination as a cause of various problems among the Black people. It made many black Americans to hate themselves. Consequentially, self-hatred caused the Blacks to lose their identities. Additionally, self-hatred made the Black Americans to indulge in drug addiction, alcoholism, and crime. Malcolm X also encouraged frustrated activists in California to form their own party known as the Black Panther Party. They called themselves the Black Panthers whose main mission was self-defense (Jolly, p 146). They also fought for black equality, fair employment opportunities, educational and health care services for the blacks. Later, Malcolm ditched his violent ambition to achieve racial equality among the Blacks and formed his own party known as Organization of Afro-American Unity. Organization of Afro-American Unity was mainly established to relieve the Black Americans from oppression and slavery to in order to gain freedom. Based on the objectives, establishment, unity programs, and national concerns, the party can be worthwhile to work for. In relation to its establishment concerns, OAAU welcomes everyone that originates from Africa to share skills and ideas that can bring about freedom (Malcolm X, p1). It also makes every effort to ignore separatism and promote equality among all the Black members. Moreover, the organization is flexible and takes into account regional, national and local conditions of the members. Concerning the aims and objectives, Organization of Afro-American Unity has two main aims namely national unity and self-determination. According to self-determination, the organization strives to make the Blacks rediscover their own culture. This means the Blacks have the right to control their own lives and not to be manipulated by American racists. Additionally, the Afro-Americans should promote their talents, rediscover their history and proclaim democracy. On the other hand, national unity ensures the Afro-Americans should be together as one by disregarding any differences that may be created as a result of power structures. This means the Blacks should unite together by sharing skills, institutions and organizations among others. The unity program of the organization involves various involves various divisions such as reorientation, restoration, economic security, education and self-defense. Restoration of communication within Africa can be considered a way to free the Blacks from the oppressors. This goal will be achieved through the use of various avenues such as personal contact, international newspapers and any other form of communication media. Moreover, the Afro-Americans must also learn about the progress of Africa by reeducating themselves. Reorientation involves the development of worldwide relationships by clearly stating the human responsibilities, roles and rights. This can be achieved by understanding the oppressed peoples’ struggle and being informed about the world affairs. Therefore, the Afro-Americans must liberate their minds by studying languages, culture and philosophies in order to increase their mental capacities. People can also acquire more knowledge listening to people’s experiences and reading books with detailed information (Malcolm X, p1). Since an educational system was developed to favor the racists, Organization of Afro-American Unity would come up with educational procedures and methods that would be aimed at liberating the minds of children from enslaved mentality. Therefore, there would be establishment of educational workshops, experimental institutes, childcare centers and experimental institutions among the Black communities (Malcolm X, p1). Additionally, children should also be educated at home on matters concerning slavery and oppression. Economic security as a basic unity program, involves the freedom of economic slavery from the racists. This could be achieved through maintenance of many technicians. This would help in opening markets between various nations in Africa when such expertise is present. Finally, self-defense as a unity program involves the ability of the Afro-Americans to defend themselves against racists acts such terror and murder. The organization would advocate for justice by whatever means in instances where terror terrorists and murder suspects are not brought to justice. As a matter of national concern, the Afro-Americans perceive people positively and advocates for ethnic associations of any capacity. This means all people should unite and help each irrespective of their ethnic backgrounds. In conclusion, black nationalists and civil rights group used different tactics in the Black Nationalism era. Malcolm X opted for violent attacks while the civil rights group used nonviolent means. A consequence of Malcolm’s change to nonviolent means led him to the formation of his own party that addressed issues such as unity, self-defense and national concerns. Works Cited: Jolly, Kenneth, “Achieving Blackness: Race, Black Nationalism, and Afrocentrism in the Twentieth Century (review).” Journal for the Study of Radicalism 1.2 (2008): 146-149. Malcolm X. Malcolm-x.org. 14 September 2003. Web. 2 May 2014. http://www.malcolm-x.org/docs/gen_oaau.htm Read More