The Racial Civil Movement in 60’s (US)

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The Racial Civil Movement in 60’s (US)
It is a well-documented fact that, in 1960s America was marked with tremendous social changes. Although the black civil rights movement had been going through for many years, it finally caught many peoples’ attention in the 60s. In 1950’s, African Americans had united in a movement to fight for their rights to be treated equally like whites in the US. The decade of 50’s was marked so much with discrimination in that most students were forced to travel for many miles to find schools of their race. African American believed that it was the time for the government to take action by using facts in the case of Linda Brown from Topeka Kansa. The summary of the case was that, the young girl was forced to travel for a long distance to find a black school. Later, the brown family filed a lawsuit and the US Supreme Court ruled that schools in the United States had to be integrated or desegregate. Since then, the court’s decision has created a strong platform for many people to comprehend that segregation would not be tolerated. In 1960’s, leaders such as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X became known for fighting for the blacks who had been discriminated for a long time. To date, their input cannot be underestimated in that they laid a strong ground for many to understand the importance of living in unity and in love. With this, this paper underlines the input brought by Martin Luther King and Macolm X and how their actions were significant during that period and in the present.

Born in 1929 and died in 1968, Martin Luther King remains the most widely known leader of this era. He is among many who had a passion to transform the American nation to a better nation that would be free from racism and discrimination. The King left a superb reputation of transforming the American nation with love and social justice. He provided hope and better opportunities for African Americans to reach their goals. His moral courage and strong conviction in challenging the government that blacks deserved equal rights overwhelmed many. To date, the King is widely recognized as a prominent leader who initiated political and social change through the vision of social justice.
The King was the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) that played a significant role in the American Civil Right Movement (McGuire and Kate Hutching 154). In his leadership, Martin Luther organized many rallies, strikes, and marches to fight discrimination and racism against the minorities. In his events, the King addressed the issue of discrimination and convinced many people that it was the time for a change. In 1963, the SCLC launched one of the best campaigns to have occurred in Birmingham, Alabama. The movement attracted many participants who helped in campaigning for equality and unity. His desire for social justice and love was so evident that, on Augusts 28, 1963 he made a famous speech about how he had a dream that one day the American nation would live in unity and treat all men equally. His courage was fathomable in that, he convinced President Kennedy and Johnson to end discrimination at all levels. In 1964, Civil Rights Act ended racial discrimination in education and employment and segregation in public places.
The primary idea of the King was that American would one be a nation that understands that all people are equal regardless of color, sex, education background, and social status. In the beginning of civil rights movement, Martin Luther King encouraged many people to pass the bill that President Kennedy had enacted. The Act of 1964 was enacted to prohibit racial discrimination and embrace equal opportunities in education and employment. Despite having a strong passion to fight for African American’s freedom, the King went through a lot to ensure that his dream come into a reality. As his movement became increasingly radicalized, the King established the need to protest against poverty and the Vietnam War. The King was honored for his ideas and contribution towards the two subjects. Indeed, the King’s legacy as an American icon has widely been accepted over time (McGuire and Kate Hutching 154).
Born in 1925 and died in 1965, Malcolm X was also an influential leader in the 60s. He was an American Muslim Human right activist and minister. To date, many people recognize him as a courageous advocate who fought for the rights African Americans. Malcolm X also known as Malcolm Little believed that racism was dehumanizing for the blacks in that many were treated with discrimination and indifferences. In his life, Malcolm X witnessed and experienced how racism affected him, his friends, and family. In his works, he embraced Islamic toward the change for a better nation. He joined the leader by name Elijah Muhammad who by that time preached the importance of achieving racial equality. He spoke on the behalf of Muslims in advocating for peace, unity, love, and social justice. Despite having a strong passion in the nation of Islam, he changed his beliefs that blacks would finally achieve liberty and freedom. He became frustrated with the religion and thereafter left his organization (Bell 130).
After the death of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, activists and scholars have continued to discuss the similarities and differences between these leaders of liberation movements. Some of their similarities include the following. Both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King emerged as influential leaders in their adult life. The two leaders became the leading voice in fighting racial discrimination and segregation. Their childhood experiences shaped their view on racism. For instance, the King grew up in the African American community where discrimination was a major issue that affected the blacks. Still, Malcolm X was affected by his circumstances and damaged by the society of racism. Although their religions differed, their views were determined by their religion views. Martin Luther King embraced the beliefs of Christianity and implemented them in the society. This is well-illustrated in the speech of “I have a dream” which revealed his passion for religion. Malcolm joined the Islam nation where the religion emphasizes on the need to embrace the African culture. The focus of the two leaders was to restore the power and dignity of blacks through historical teaching about economic development, racism, and business creation.
Their different actions and views can be highlighted as follows. For instance, Malcolm X’s message erased the internal disagreement brought by racism while the actions of the King erased the societal and community structures that promoted racial discrimination. Typically, the actions and ideas of these leaders affected the people during that period and the people at the moment. Studies show that, the actions and beliefs of the two leaders were so much significance in that, they created insights on how America would be a better place if there was social justice, love, unity, and peace (Bell 130).
During that period, the actions and inputs of the two leaders meant a lot in that it showed how blacks were mistreated and denied their rights to liberty, enjoy life, and living in happiness. As previously mentioned, Martin Luther King encouraged President Kennedy and Johnson to end discrimination that had so much affected the African American community. The King embraced his religion in that he based his teachings on Christianity. His famous speech created a strong ground for many people to crave for a nation where there was equality regardless of differences in race, education background, and social status. On the other hand, Malcolm X embraced Islamic religion and taught many people about the importance of embracing the African American community. With this, it is obvious that the two leaders motivated many to respect religion by respecting and treating all people equally regardless of their differences. In today’s society, the two leaders’ actions were significant in that they enable many to focus on social justice. The Civil Rights movement impacted the entire U.S. population. The movement did not only benefit the black but also the White people. It laid a strong ground for the entire population to understand what was going on in the United States.
Typically, the Civil Rights Movement has also affected the today’s society. For instance, the movement has changed the way people live today. The movement made many people realize the importance of embracing everyone regardless of their cultural and racial differences. In today’s society, many people have been in a better position to interact with classmates or friends from different races. As many nations take the road taken by the Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, they have been in a better position to advocate for equality and social justice for all people of every gender, ethnicity, and color. The movement initiated by the two leaders have given hope to the world in regard to respecting human rights.
In the article Africana phenomenology: Its philosophical implication Henry Paget highlight the benefits of the concept of race being part of the curriculum. The article highlight how the course expose many to the thought of racism and in turn encourage many to practice social justice on their daily activities. In a different article by…( ) the author narrates a story that further helps many understand how the course make it more for many students to exercise right judgement on race. It creates a platform for many to comprehend the importance of treating everyone equally regardless of their race differences. The role of race racism in black studies is to equip studies with the fact that we all equal regardless of differences in race, education, and social status. It helps many students to value and appreciate their race. In my opinion, the study of the concept of race should be part of the curriculum because it exposes many people to the thought of social justice. The two readings might be useful in my larger research because they have deep knowledge on the importance of teaching and studying about race. Despite that the two articles are great in content; this research would like to change some of the misconception seen in the article. For instance, Bois’s article posts it that the blacks are ashamed of themselves. This research would like to appeal that the blacks have realized that they are equal and can achieve their dreams just like the whites can. To fully understand how race and racism should be understood, this project will utilize different methods to gather information. First, this research will collect information from different researchers on this subject and interview people from different races on how they understand the subject. For this research to be successful, the following questions will be a good guide. First, whether civil movement in the 1960’s has had a significant input in today’s society and how the concept of race has changed for the past decades.

Works Cited
Bell, Tracy. “Malcolm X/The Civil Rights Movement in America.” School Library Journal 50.2 (2004): 130-. ProQuest. Web. 29 May 2013.
Du Bois, William.“On being ashamed of oneself: an essay on race pride”. Journal of Black Thought and Culture.40.9 (2009):199-200.
Henry Paget. “Africana Phenomenology: Its Philosophical Implications”. Journal of African Phenomenology. 11.1 (2005):79-112.
McGuire, David, and Kate Hutchings. “Portrait of a Transformational Leader: The Legacy of Dr Martin Luther King Jr.”Leadership & Organization Development Journal 28.2 (2007): 154-66. ProQuest. Web. 29 May 2013.