Comments on: By Any Means Necessary

By: Jennifer Moore

Jennifer Moore — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:24:32 +0000

@Connie Barrett: GREAT post!

My boyfriend and I lament every day at what we see as the massive dumbing down of America.

I ditched TV service years ago, and I have never felt freer or more alive. I get my news in bits and only read when something REALLY interests me–I just need to know what is going on.

By: Jennifer Moore

Jennifer Moore — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:22:54 +0000

This was a great post! Malcolm X was very important to our history here in the states, and I’m always glad to see him acknowledged as such. So many people know all about Dr. King and all that he has done for America, but Malcolm X is so often dismissed or passed over as “a radical.” Both were brilliant, very important men. I hope to grab that autobiography and read it soon.

The US has so far to go, but we have definitely come a long way, too!

By: connie barrett

connie barrett — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:35:39 +0000

I think this post is important because America has become such a passive country that I can’t imagine a Malcolm or even another MLK rising to power again. I was in college in the late 60′s and early 70′s and then taught high school for 25 years. The times they have a changed–a whole lot and it’s very sad. The media is unrecognizable now. There is no news on the news and working people come home exhausted and the most they can do is watch 30 minutes of news. I wish Obama would see himself as the educator in chief. Change cannot happen and a democracy cannot endure without an educated populace.

By: Christianne

Christianne — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:21:29 +0000

Thank you for this. I’ve been studying nonviolence for the past year or so and have come to believe more and more that it is the way we are meant to live and exist with one another.

Malcolm X is someone on my list of people to read, but I’ve not yet gotten to his autobiography. This was a great overview of who he is and how he matured over time. That is fascinating to me most of all.

By: ConsciouslyFrugal

ConsciouslyFrugal — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:04:29 +0000

African American history IS American history. I love this month, because it highlights so many important aspects of our collective history as a Union. When I was a kid, African American history was limited to slavery, as if that was the whole story. Kinda crazy. So, I’m thrilled that we take this month to shine a light on this rich and beautiful tapestry created by such strength and courage. But it is our collective history 12 months out of the year as well.

Just had to toss in an extra 2 cents.

By: Don Parker

Don Parker — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 04:18:28 +0000

Thank you, Chris.

I’m a white guy, born and raised in Texas. And I was in many civil rights marches and anti-war protests in the 1960s and 70s, in Texas and DC. To me reading The Autobiography of Malcom X in the 70s was a seminal moment.

What an amazing man he was. He and MLK and Rosa Parks and many others–black, white, old, young, rich, poor–made this a better country, not just for African Americans but for all of us.
…………………….
@ Liam. I hope you will read The Autobiography of Malcom X and learn more about him and the movement. And I hope you will allow light and love into your dark, twisted heart. We’ll all be better for that.

By: Mighty

Mighty — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:53:04 +0000

Hi Chris, the issue of racism is always contentious even up to this day, I think. Although I am not from the U.S. I really admire the courage and conviction of people like Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and even Nelson Mandela. There are still frontiers in racial relations that must be conquered and these leaders have already shown what peaceful resistance can do.

By: Arif

Arif — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:11:06 +0000

Beautiful post. But enough talk. Who amongst us commenters will stand up and be the Malcolm-X of today?

By: LMB

LMB — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:02:56 +0000

Chris,

I was absolutely floored by your post. As an African-American and former diversity consultant, I was always amazed at how many white people could not “even admit the knife is there.” Thank you for taking such a bold step toward healing the wounds. The way you live your life is an example of courage and you did not need to take the “risk” of acknowledging such a controversial man. But you did. You rocked my world today.

By: Sam

Sam — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:44:18 +0000

Excellent post, I read Malcolm X’s Autobiography as a young man and was struck by what a courageous leader he was. I think his views were certainly formed by his difficult childhood, and he really made the most of what talent and ability he had, especially learning to read in prison, starting with a dictionary! He and MLK were both great leaders, I feel, and both are important for us to understand and learn from.