Wednesday assignment 1

In the article The Unfinished Dialogue of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, Carson believes that Martin Luther King and Malcolm X had more similarities than people think. He argues that both of these movements both have one single goal in common, and that is to gain equal rights for the African Americans. I believe that Carson makes some valid points on this argument. He mentioned three messages that portray the similarities between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. Carson states that both men saw the building of strong black controlled institutions within African American communities. Their ultimate goal was to achieve equal rights within the American political system. They both stood for racial advancement, it is important that these similarities are mentioned because it allows people to see how both of these leaders shared the same views regardless of their disagreements or differences.
Even though both of these men differenced in their rhetoric at times they ultimately shared the same wish. I truly believe that one of the main reasons that King is given more credit and recognition is because he assimilated more than Malcolm X. While Martin Luther King mobilized millions of Christian’s all over America, Malcolm X was only focusing on black Muslims. King’s organizations and groups were open to people of all races; he was looking for civil rights and equality for all people. Malcolm X only allowed black people into his movement and basically wanted rights only for Black people. Therefore, I feel that when it comes to assimilation Martin Luther King was more assimilated than Malcolm X. Even with Martin Luther King being less radical and seemingly more assimilated into the American system than Malcolm X they were both going against assimilation, mainly because they were not assimilating to the laws and norms of the American system. They both were not willing to sit back and assimilate into the system that was oppressing minorities.
Both of these leaders portrayed radicalism because they both were trying to change the political system. Any one who speaks out to make a change I feel is radicalism. I feel that Malcolm X and his movement were a bit more radical than Martin Luther King’s because of the way that Malcolm X wanted things done. For Malcolm X it was more about creating a separate black state and doing whatever it took to get it done. Even though both sides were working towards the same goal of equal rights for their people they differed in strategy.
Martin Luther King did however mention that when a group of people are constantly fed with false promises they may eventually become frustrated up to the point where violence may break out. This was mentioned in his famous letter from Birmingham. He mentioned how he did not want things to end up that way but did warn that basically as human beings it is a natural reaction to maybe react with violence after being ignored when trying to peacefully come to a solution and being oppressed for so long. All in all, both leaders promoted peaceful movements but with slightly different tactics and levels of radicalism.
In the women’s movement I believe there was a great deal of radicalism because women all over were standing up for their rights and going against the sociological norm that was implemented from the beginning of time. I feel that this movement was quite radical because it was going against a belief that had been so ingrained into our way of life. This is truly a great example of a movement that is going against assimilation. These women did not want to assimilate into the norm of being unequal just for the simple fact of being women. They did not want to assimilate into being submissive and stay at home mom’s who should not have any sort of career or higher education than their husbands.
In the gay movement we can also see a high level of radicalism. These people were fighting to be recognized as human beings and not as some freaks with mental disorders that just did not belong in society. It started out as a violent protest during the Stonewall riot’s were young gay radicals proposed the idea of “coming out” by doing so all gays and lesbians were to be open about their sexual preferences to other gay men and women. I feel that this movement in itself was a part of many different protests going on during the same period of time. The lesbian liberation movement, feminist movements, and civil rights movement the gay right’s movement, I believe was extremely radical because it was striving to change a very strong moral norm of a relationship between a man and a woman.
In the Chicano movement we see various similarities to those of the Civil Rights movement. Although not as radical as the major Civil Rights movement Chicano’s essentially were looking for similar outcomes. Chicanos were looking to improve lives of farm workers, to stop police repression and brutality, and to improve educational opportunities. Those were just some of the motives amongst others that moved this Chicano movement. Assimilation was a big deal and actually still is they are perceived as people who are unwilling to assimilate into the American white culture. This is one of the big problems that we currently face in this immigration movement. Many who are opposed to the immigration reform are afraid of perhaps the extinction of the white America culture. Most of the people who are opposed are driven by their ethnocentric ideologies. The immigration movement has so far remained peaceful with the exception of the retaliation from the opposing side. There have been various hate crimes committed against people who are believed to be immigrants because of their appearance and color of their skin.
I believe that both Malcolm and King’s strategies have their own distinct way of working. In my opinion I feel that Martin Luther King’s approach was more valid because it was more inclusive. King wanted equality for all, not just for African American’s, but for all races. I believe his peaceful approach was also admirable and respectable, and that is the way that social movements should be in order to be taken serious. I feel that the immigration movement is also inclusive of all people who want to join. This movement is promoting a path to legalization for immigrants who are in this country not just from Mexico but from any country. The immigration movement has also acquired its legitimacy through peaceful and solid demonstrations.

Sources:
The Social Movements Reader Cases and Concepts Second Edition
Jeff Goodwin & James M. Jasper
The Origins and History of the Chicano Movement
Rodriguez
The Unfinished Dialogue of Martin Luther King Jr. & Malcolm X
Carson