Inequalities That African Americans Faced

Malcolm X once said, “I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it is for or against.” El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, more commonly referred to as Malcolm X is a popular historical figure. He is more popularly known for leading the civil rights movement, which is the topic that the quote is referring to. He was then assassinated on February the twenty-first of 1965 by people who did not agree with his stance on equality towards his people. The civil rights movement that occurred during the 1900s. Its purpose was to gain rights for all African Americans that were to be recognized by the government laws. His perspective of the world was to gain fair treatment for his people, being the African Americans. The time period that Malcolm X lived in was when African Americans were treated poorly and they had no rights. This had a huge deciding factor on Malcolm's purpose in life and the decisions he made that allowed him to be written down in history for his effects that were experienced by his people. During this time period, African Americans fought for changes to be made to end discrimination towards their race. They also wanted to end the segregation created to separate both the African Americans from all of the white races.

The interpretation gathered by Malcolm X’s quote is that truth and justice will always prevail no matter the situation. Due to the era in which this statement was made Malcolm X was implying that truth and justice to be rightfully served to everyone no matter their race. Truth can be defined as being reliable with the use of factual evidence whereas justice is the act of making everything balanced with fair and equal treatment. Justice is decided by those of high power that have authority. These people can create alterations within the nation, which makes them enabled to decide justice. Not to mention, that society as a whole has an impact in the act of determining what is right using their morals as guidance. This correlates to Malcolm X’s statement because he wanted to bring truth and justice to African Americans that were being judged immorally by whites who were being discriminative. After rereading this quote several times, I am able to conclude that my morals and values are similar to those of Malcolm X. I too also believe that integrity should always overcome a society’s perspective of a person, that is primarily based on their class association and most importantly their nationality. Therefore the segregation between these races should not interfere with honesty. I am all for equality and equal rights for everyone no matter their race or social standing. In my opinion, the amount of time taken to come to this realization was long overdue. Now, in modern-day times we the people as a whole have come to an agreement and understanding of how our society should run. We have eliminated segregation and for the majority inequality as well.

There are various examples that can be used to describe the inequalities that African Americans faced in their day-to-day lives. An example of one of these situations can be the Rodney King case that occurred on the third of March of 1991. King at only the age of twenty-five became a national symbol of police brutality. He was being violently beaten by multiple officers which took place in Los Angeles, California. King was brutally kicked, beaten with batons, and was shocked by a taser gun several times. Not to mention that he was also threatened with his life during this time. Rodney King describes this moment as, “ fifteen minutes of hell” which is what he was able to sustain. The effects that this beating had on King's body resulted in eleven fractions and overall this event still continues to haunt him and will continue to for as long as he lived. The supreme court’s verdict ruled that only two officers, the ones who were leading this act were to serve two and a half years in prison. The Federal judge of this case supported his decision by saying, “I was being lenient because Mr.King had provoked their violence and the officers had already suffered from widespread vilification and the from having to face repeated judicial proceedings.” This demonstrates how racism and white supremacy took authority of federal matters to bring injustice. This only made matters worse with the riots that were caused by the unfair conclusion of the trial. This is a situation in which the statement made by X could be applied to bring integrity into this case and many others in similar positions.

Rosa Louise McCauley was raised in Alabama and as a child, she was exposed to the realities of segregation. At the age of 19, Rosa met Raymond Parks and they were married in 1932. On December 1, 1955, Rosa made the crucial decision that made her a historical figure as a civil rights activist. Rosa along with three other African American passengers was asked to give up their seats to a white male passenger and with her refusal, she was arrested. A bus boycott was organized on the day of her trial which was on December 5 of 1955. The verdict was that she was found guilty and the result of her actions led her to be fined 14 dollars. She was a role model for courage in the sense of racial injustice. Rosa’s commitment to racial equality made her prepared to sacrifice her secretary and even her life to fight for what was right, which was her perception of justice. This leads thousands of people to not use the bus as a means of transportation but to walk, carpool, or even take cabs to get to work. This lasted for three hundred and eighty-one days as a way of boycotting and Martin Luther King Jr., was the leading force and voice of the main activist movements. With this news outbreak of Rosa’s political stance, she was unable to find work in the town she lived in so she and Raymond moved to Michigan. In memory of Reymond and her version of a ‘better tomorrow’, Rosa co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for self-development. This educated the youth on the civil rights movement, gives freedom bus tours, and provides the youth with professional guidance. In this situation, the quote of Malcolm X should have been applied to bring justice and a fair verdict over this ‘issue’. The corruption of this time period only made this problem seem bad but in fact, there were not any true problems. Both of these historical and impactful figures have similar values and were aiming for the same goal to end segregation between the races and to fight for equality. Sadly Rosa Parks passed away on October 24, 2005, but her life was a symbolization to many and she was a role model. With her actions, she was able to change the course of a nation. Within her lifetime Rosa was able to accomplish all of her goals and was able to educate others of her impact within the nation.

All in all, The quote by Malcolm X was formed by the ideology gathered from the civil rights movement. He wanted to achieve his goal of eliminating segregation and replacing it with equality. Malcolm X’ values were directed towards justice and truth which is also relatable to several others during this time period. He believed that people meant power and more supporters were equivalent to an impact that can be made upon society. The specific word choice used within the quote was used to display emotion to the audience. With this Malcolm X is cleaning how no matter what circumstances, the truth will come out and justice will always prevail. He was a prominent figure during the Civil Rights era and always fought for what he believed was correct. This can be interpreted as the meaning of desiring change upon the nation. In comparison to Malcolm’s morals and values, the examples of Rodney King and Rosa Parks were used. Both of these individuals displayed the injustice that was occurring during this time period. King exemplified the acts of violence that were due to racial abuse, which left him damaged in various ways. He became the symbol of justice that was not being served to African Americans. Rosa Parks on the other hand was what many look up to for the courage that she possessed to fight the racial inequities. All of the struggles that she faced were to accomplish her goal of having a ‘better tomorrow’. Meaning that she wanted our future to be improved upon by her actions and the several others that were contributing to the civil rights movement. All of these historical figures have educated us in more ways that we have imagined. They took all of the hardships and obstacles of the economy to change its set course that was headed toward injustice. They placed their lives on the line to achieve the equality that was deserved by all. Also the elimination of segregation of races.