BLACK History Month has come and gone. I submit here that Black History Month is the time for Americans to reflect on the heart and soul of their nation’s identity.
But it is also broadly a history of all those who were colonised all over the world.
And not to forget that those five centuries of African-American history is the history of Africa itself because those men, women and children came from what the Europeans used to call the ‘Dark Continent’.
The NBC gave us a week-long glimpse of the story of slavery and then concluded with one of the memorable speeches of the 20th Century, “I Have A Dream”, by Martin Luther King Jr. back in 1963. My concern here is that we tend to draw too much from a single person to write a history of a whole nation like we are doing here in Namibia (Sam Nujoma), in South Africa (Nelson Mandela and Zimbabwe (Robert Mugabe).
We have either consciously or sub-consciously been drawing too much from King as if there were no other prominent figures in the history of black struggle or civil rights movement as many prefer to call it. There were others too.
I will take, as an example, Malcolm X who was perhaps one of the most influential figures in the history of black movement and had such a profound influence on a new generation of African-Americans and beyond especially here in Africa. Malcolm X, unlike King, was a radical in his thoughts and political stance that made him a political symbol for many.
The ‘Don’t Tread On Me – I Will Not Be Bullied’ did not only apply to whites but also showed the same attitude to others like Elijah Muhammad (his mentor) as well as to those disciples of the Chicagoan who tried to intimidate him.
Malcolm X argued for an alternative view to the mainstream civil rights movement. He advocated both the establishment of a separate black community (rather than integration that King argued for) and the use of violence in self defence (rather than non-violence). His message frightened the white community and even some conservative blacks. (No wonder Malcolm and King only met once).
After Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam, for which he had been a spokesperson and a leader, his views toward white people softened but his core message of black pride and self-reliance lived on.
After his assassination in 1965, Malcolm X’s autobiography (which has been described as one of the most influential books of the 20th century) continued to spread his ideas. Through his autobiography, Malcolm X’s powerful voice continued to inspire the black community to advocate their rights. The Black Panthers, for example, used Malcolm X’s teachings to found their own organisation in 1966.
I would not be surprised if people like Stephen Bantu Biko did not take a cue from Malcolm X’s thoughts in the establishment of the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) in South Africa. In an article aptly titled: “A Symbol Fills the Need of a New Generation”, by Dan Rather, an anchor at CBS, one gets a glimpse of X (as he was popularly known).
Dan Rather interviewed Malcolm X once and he says there was something about him that made reporters, especially white reporters, weigh their words. Rather says that Malcolm X became a political symbol partly because of accident and circumstance, partly because of hard work.
Rather points out a few important ideas to describe Malcolm X: First, self-reliance. ‘Malcolm was a survivor, with all the strength and confidence that come from getting through tough times and when he needed to rely on others, he relied on blacks – his brothers and sisters, his wife, his mosque, his followers, his community’.
Secondly, a commitment to a lifetime of learning and personal growth. It is said that while in prison Malcolm acquired something close to a doctorate (self-taught of course). I would agree with that view judging by the breadth and depth of his knowledge, his use of language.
He was a master at the arts of rhetoric and debate which came in handy during the various debates he would be involved in. As an example, Malcolm took part in a debate at the Oxford Union Society, (on December 3, 1964) the topic was: “Extremism in the Defence of Liberty is no Vice; Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice is no Virtue”. The debate was broadcast nationally by BBC.
Malcolm had travelled widely in Africa and the Middle East. He had met most of the prominent African leaders of that time. He also attended the second meeting of the Organisation of African Unity (now African Union) in Cairo as a representative of the Organisation of Afro-American Unity where he spoke.
Today, Malcolm X remains one of the most controversial figures of the civil rights era. He is generally respected for his radical demand for change in one of history’s most trying times for African-Americans. In short Malcolm stood for something and encouraged others to stand for something.
