Monday, March 2, 1970
Malcolm X Tribute
By GWENDOLYN SPINKS
(EDITOR'S NOTE: THIS IS
THE FIRST IN A SERIES
OF WEEKLY COLUMNS SPONSORED BY BASIB)
"Some said that he was wrong
For his thoughts and actions;
Others praised him as strong.
A man of multiple reactions.
But no matter what society may
say
Blacks agree, Malcolm X paved
the wav."
Marked as a "troublemaker"
and branded with a scar, death,
Malcolm X departed from a life
of struggle and sacrifice on February 21, 1965. Although his
death was the effective result
of some "society" unappreciati
ve of the progress of Black people,
his doctrines and philosophies
will always remain in the hearts
of Black youth.
Malcolm X, like the Blacks
of today, was not afraid of
dying for a good cause. He
stressed that Black people have
been denied their human rights
and that they have the obligatory
right and responsibility to end
the age of oppression by any
means necessary. Appealing to
the Black youth of the day is
Malcolm's theory, to refuse the
acceptance of the traditional expression, "You can't fight the
establishment.''
We, as the future citizens, are
strong believers that "if the
establishment wants to remain.
it must awaken to the need of
change either voluntarily or by
force." The ideals and standards
of "race pride" and Black consciousness were stolen from the
Black by the white man, who,
consequently, used it to maintain his own freedom by infringing upon the rights and happiness of the rest of the world.
Malcolm X held a strong belief that reality exists as the only
means for obtaining an identity.
Why must we attempt to imitate
other cultural practices? We
must be able to function under
supervision and become educated so that we can realize that
it is our spiritual and moral
duty to help our Black brothers,
who can not help themselves.
We must be capable of accepting
ourselves for what we are.
To insure that Black traditions will forever exist from generation to generation, Malcolm X
was a firm believer in the value
and importance of Black heritage. He advocated a policy of
self-defense that stated, "In
those areas where the authorities
are either unable or unwilling to
protect the lives and properties
of our people, then Black people
have not only the right but the
responsibility to organize to protect themselves against anyone
who attempts to oppress or
destroy them.
Yes, to Malcolm X, we present
this tribute, for his ideals and
philosophies; for they will forever live in our hearts.
