class notes 4/9 Malcolm X Speaks (3-45)

4/9

  1. Preliminary Class Discussion
    1. Full complete drafts by Monday for final project
      1. 300-500 words for each entry
    2. Library day on Thursday
    3. No homework readings for Thursday
  2. Discussion Questions
    1. What, exactly, is Malcolm’s view of “liberation” and how it can be achieved?
    2. To what extent and how is Malcolm X  critiquing MLK, SLCC, nonviolence, etc? How valid are these critiques?
    3. Why is Malcolm X threatening/dangerous?
    4. How do we think about X, MLK, and Baldwin in terms of each other?
  3. Malcolm X
    1. The two competing views of X and MLK
      1. X is the more radical
    2. Nonviolence or violence
      1. “Concerning non violence: it is criminal to teach a man not to defend himself when he is the constant victim of brutal attacks. It is legal and lawful to own a shotgun or a rifle. We believe in obeying the law.”(22).
      2. “Any time you demonstrate against segregation and a man has the audacity to put a police dog on you, kill that dog…. Someone else will.”(33).
      3. “If you don’t take this kind of stand, your little children will grow up  and look at you and think shame...dying be reciprocal”(33-34).
      4. “Revolution is bloody…”(page 9)
    3. “There is nothing in our book… religion.”(12).
      1. Northern urban vs southern rural ideas and how they are functioning
      2. What kind of importance comes with this?
        1. It is a defensive violence
          1. Refer to previous quote at the end of page 33 to 34
        2. How is it justified?
          1. Religious, leaving African-Americans subject to the white men, complacent people, not only Southerners---white power struggle in general
        3. “It’s just like when you got some coffee…… puts you to sleep”(16).
          1. Metaphor for black strength
        4. Not being sugar-coated
          1. If you do this to me, i am going to do this back to you
            1. “When you demonstrate against segregation…. Law any longer”(33).
            2. It is your constitutional right to follow the law
          2. King’s idea that is acceptable to break an unjust law
            1. What is the violence in service of? Does he share the same objectives as MLK, SCLC, etc?
        5. Black nationalism
          1. “When you want a nation… you love Black nationalism”(10).
            1. Integration country
          2. What is the better outcome for African-Americans?
            1. “You can take Uncle Sam..to the world court”(35).
            2. “So I cite these various revolutions… justice, and equality.”(9).
          3. Is he anti-white?
            1. Black people have to unify together, arms together before we can accept other people and bring in allies
            2. Holding white people accountable for what they have done
        6. Why is Malcolm X not taught in school?
          1. He is threatening to white America in a way in telling the correct narrative of Civil Rights history
          2. Beloved image of MLK in school would be damaged
            1. “Ruther and those other three devils…. Best supporting cast.”(17).
            2. Why are we so invented in this image of King?
          3. “We die on every battlefield..not fast enough”(33).
            1. No slow progress with Malcolm X
            2. He is not wanting slow progress
              1. MLK “i had a dream”... one day
          4. If more people start thinking like how Malcolm X thought, then he would be too dangerous
    4. Quotes handout
      1. Calling for economic change
      2. The problem is not about where you can go, it is about what you can buy
        1. Impoverished
        2. The problem isn’t that there is poor people, it is about the structures creating the poor people
        3. Privileged aren’t able to understand or acknowledge this

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