Thanks to my cousin Sonya, who recommendI read the Autobiography of Malcolm X, I have an awakened sense of how he helped towards healing the world. Malcolm X was not the aggressor that many believed him to be. What stood out to me most in his accounts, was his love for learning. This love allowed him to adapt his ideals based on being open and flexible in his thinking.
The first part for him, of understanding what it was to be black in a white society made him angry and rebel. He began stating all white people were evil. He didn’t think white people could have any impact on changing this script.
Malcolm as a nonviolent offender was moved from a prison with bars, to a group home environment with an unending source of books. These books provided him knowledge. With that knowledge, he grew and was able to see the benefit of white allies.
His humility allowed him to reach out to his white friends that he initially said weren’t needed. He admitted his mistake. He began to band races together. He stopped stating all white people were evil. These attributes show a true leader.
As I watch the hatred and ceaseless evil ensued against Israel, I can’t imagine how uneducated these individuals must be. I see our society going backwards in so many ways, but the one thing I’ve seen over recent weeks is that every person in my circle can agree this is not okay. No one can argue that our Jewish people are hurting. I have seen more people in America stand in support of Jewish people than ever before.
As an educated nation, how do we help educate the world? How do we get individuals to think for themselves rather than as a group? How do we help deviate when hatred tugs at those without the resources of independence?
