Malcolm X Strengths And Weaknesses

Both Martin and Malcolm had weaknesses just as much as strengths. The first point they both missed was sexism. Sexism is a major problem and is just as evil as racism. Martin and Malcolm were sexist men. Both believed that the women’s place was in the home, the private sphere, and the man’s place was in society, the public arena, fighting for justice on behalf of women and children. Malcolm was worse about this issue and stated, “the true nature of a man is to be strong, and a woman’s true nature is to be weak.” He was believed to be misogynic which made him have a negative attitude toward women. Many black men are embarrassed by what Malcolm and Martin said and thought about women back in the day. The focus on “manhood” was one of the main reasons for the low visibility of black women in civil rights and black national organizations. Over time, however, black women joined the movement: Ella Baker, Fannie Lou Hamer, Jo Ann Robinson, Mary Fair Burks and other women of the Women’s Political Council. Martin and Malcolm’s views changed over the course of their work influenced by their wives and women leaders within the movement. The second topic they both

did not identify was classism. They did not view the American political economy as a primary cause of the oppression of blacks. Martin tried to create a new image but failed to do so in time.
Cone’s main objective when writing this book was that he wanted to fully understand the need to fight against white supremacy.

In order to do that, he had to analyze the tactics that both Malcolm and Martin used to succeed. Cone used the theory of his right and left hands: 1) both necessary for his expression of his humanity and 2) for his struggle to find his voice in the black freedom movement. He wanted to explain how both Martin and Malcolm defended black humanity. Cone came to realize why they were so indifferent about violence, Christianity, and love. They grew up in different environments and adapted to change differently. He also wanted to learn more about their political and cultural meaning by analyzing their relationship towards one another and their meanings for America as a

whole.
James Cone explained both Malcolm and Martin’s movements very well. He was able to point out the tactics that both of them used in order to succeed in the long run. Martin was most successful when emphasizing nonviolence and love, and mainly focused on Southern blacks. Malcolm on the other hand succeeded most when he enforced violence and loving yourself, mainly focusing on Northern blacks. My favorite part of the novel was learning about how close Malcolm X became with Muhammed and how closely he followed in his footsteps. Cone accurately depicted their ideals and the actions they took to try and make change, this made for a great read. After the death of Trayvon Martin and the acquittal of George Zimmerman, the Black Lives Matter movement seeks to cast a spotlight on the impact of state violence and police brutality on American society. I view this fast growing movement as a representative of contemporary civil and human rights organization. There has always been an issue with racism and different movements tried to correct it. Racism is not as big of a problem now as it was back then, but I do believe we are making strides to end it completely.