Malcolm X： Value of Dignity and Human Rights

郭穎

As a human rights activist，Malcolm X，was an African-American Muslim minister.To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of blacks，a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against black Americans； detractors accused him of preaching racism and violence.He has been called one of the greatest and most influential African Americans in history.And The Autobiography of Malcolm X is considered as one of the greatest non-fiction books in the history by Time.

Malcolm once performed very well in an all-white school，even was elected as the class president of his grade.But when he told his teacher that he dreamed to be a lawyer，his teacher told him”A lawyer-thats no realistic goal for a nigger”.It is the significant turning point of Malcolm s life，since it is the first time he realized that the existence of Black in the Whites word is so humble and embarrassing.Nevertheless，at that time，he hasnt fathomed this reality is sort of racial discrimination or social injustice.Just as the 30s in America，no one figured out there is anything wrong about it.

After that，Malcolm became weary of studying and dropped out of school，and he virtually descended to be the lowest-class black of the society，then，he was put into jail because of theft.What is noteworthy is that during his prison time，he was coincidentally preached by Elijah Muhammad，who was the religious leader of the Nation of Islam.His words “the white man is the devil”had a tremendous hold over Malcolm and released him from social stereotype，which is the onset of his revolt against racial discrimination.With the overwhelming determination，he tried hard to obtain more knowledge about the history of black and white，reflecting how the American Negro has been entirely brainwashed from ever seeing or thinking of himself，as he should，as a part of non-white peoples of the world.Such ignorance resulted from the malicious guidance made Malcolm affirm that“the white man is the devil”

Reading and thinking contributed to the rebirth of Malcolm.As a priest in the Nation of Islam，he started to absorb followers all over the America，and told them how wicked the white man is.He has given lots of examples in his autobiography： “New York white youth were killing victims； that was a ‘ sociological problem.But when black youth killed somebody，the power structure was looking to hang somebody.When black men had been lynched or otherwise murdered in cold blood，it was always said，“Things will get better.” When whites had rifles in their homes，the Constitution gave them the right to protect their home and themselves.But when black people even spoke of having rifles in their homes，that was ‘ominous.”endprint

As a Muslim，Malcolm X decided to worship in Mecca，which changed his mind partially that all white men are devil.Although his hostility towards white was lessened，his spirit of intransigence and complete self- strength has never faded away.He appealed American blacks to unite with their African brothers and called for attention to change the issue of blacks from civil rights problem to human rights problem.He thought that the whites belief that they are “superior” in some way is so deeply rooted，that these things are in the national white subconsciousness.Many whites are even actually unaware of their own racism，until they face some test，and then their racism emerges in one form or another.The white man is not inherently evil，but Americas racist society influences him to act evilly.The society nourishes a psychology which brings out the lowest，most basic part of human being.

Malcolm X is credited with raising the self-esteem of black Americans and reconnecting them with their African heritage.He is largely responsible for the spread of Islam in the black community in the United States.Many African Americans，especially those who lived in cities in the Northern and Western United States，felt that Malcolm X articulated their complaints concerning inequality better than the mainstream civil rights movement did .One biographer says that by giving expression to their frustration，Malcolm X "made clear the price that white America would have to pay if it did not accede to black America's legitimate demands."

Malcolm X is also one of the most controversial people in American contemporary history.He once was a hustler in the ghetto jungle，and then a criminal in prison，You can accuse him of being an extremist，of being radical，or of inciting violence，but you can never deny that he is such a man who pays out one hundred percent dedication into whatever he believes in，who never makes any compromise with darkness，who conveys confidence and sense of worthiness to millions of black people，and most importantly，who makes the readers of his autobiography touch the power in their bottom of hearts that has been never noticed before.endprint