Segregation in America - Essay Sample

Introduction

During the civil rights age, many people were affected in a world infused with racial oppression and discrimination. Still, most politicians have taken varying paths to pursue the universal concept of equity. Although many African Americans tried to fight against the regime for proper treatment, many people were terrified. It appeared difficult to successfully alter citizens' minds who retained rights without fear of consequences from the beginning. It was almost a hundred years after slavery, but the whites still harassed the African Americans. The police used new techniques to arrest black- Americans for minimal crimes, and Jim Crow Laws remained significant. While black people were not slaves to plantations, they were also slaves to America's injustice. In the 1960s, the effort to secure equality for African Americans was a revolution for liberty. African - Americans had two representatives who were not afraid to speak up for black people. Malcolm X and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King stood for desegregation, democracy, and freedom. While each of them had diverse perspectives, they were similarly powerful. Education and upbringing, social structures, and personal experiences have influenced Malcolm X's and Martin Luther King's perception of the degree to which abuse can be integrated into their philosophies.

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The Similarities and Disagreements Between Martin Luther and Malcolm X in Dealing with Segregation

In the "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Martin Luther King mentioned that the influence of non-violent restraint had done a good deal to create a new image of himself in the minds of the Black people." Because Black Americans have a history of slavery, African Americans are subjected to retribution for working too slow or destroying the product. In addition to his background, Martin Luther King contends that non-violence is the best path to success in revolution because it uncovers the African American to a new human wave of being (King). To fundamentally change their authorities, African Americans never had a moment to use their understanding, words, and actions, and Martin Luther King thought it was the moment to utilize it. Malcolm X had a more aggressive approach, on the other hand. The silence that repressed slaves in the past, Malcolm X believed, and the only way to change it was to respond violently. Malcolm X's wrote in his article "the ballot or the bullet" violence allowed for African American to have more than a "voice" "protect themselves from white aggression by any means necessary" (Malcolm X 358). This put their theories into practice, which he thought were more potent than peaceful aggressive behavior.

Both leaders had a significant influence on the culture of African Americans. Without a forum to speak up against oppression, the change achieved for black citizens in America would not have happened. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. comes from a well-structured home. He had multiple ways to share his feelings through his brothers and sisters and the church. He entered three separate colleges and earned various degrees. His peaceful approach evolved from a lifelong obsession with a family affection, healthy finances, and deep faith in God. Malcolm X had a rough childhood, and he was pressured to grow "tough skin." He discovered that anything he desired in his life, he would have to make a living. From his youth, all his comforts have been taken away from him. His rough beginnings are the basis of his approach to aggression. The two leaders shared the same aim, even though their histories were distinct. Irrespective of their past, Malcolm X and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. required Black Americans to have a real citizen's freedom and to reside peacefully in a world that their hands had produced.

Malcolm X has had a life that has taken several twists. Since his upbringing in violence, he was convicted in 1946 and thrown in prison for robbery. During his six-year tenure, he was converted to Islam. Upon his freedom in 1952, he agreed to adopt the tradition of the Country of Islam (NOI) to alter his last name to "X" to reverence his ancestors, whose identities had been forgotten due to slavery (Malcolm X). Soon after his release, Malcolm X became the Minister of the Country of Islam, speaking against black separatism and armed resistance. In April 1964, Malcolm X wanted to go on a pilgrimage, completing the Hajj. Once he returned, he declined to recognize Islam's country, and it led him to convert and adopt Sunni Islam. He knew that his wrongdoing was prejudicing white citizens, and he disputed his former convictions. Malcolm X was also calling for black superiority and blacks and whites to split. Three months after the departure of the Country of Islam in 1964, Malcolm X's Afro-American Right to Self-Defense argues that the history of unpunished violence against our people indicates that we must be prepared to defend ourselves, or that we shall continue to be a defenseless people at the mercy of a vicious and violent racist mob." While Malcolm X had a difficult upbringing, he significantly influenced the black community and inspired their faith to stand up against white supremacy. Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21, 1965, by three active representatives of the Islamic Nation.

How Media Deepen Our Understanding of Segregation and Discrimination

African American culture is part of a minority ethnic community in the United States. In the first instance, prejudice is focused on the generalization of incorrect information and pressuring a person to do so. The misleading representation of African Americans influences African Americans ' stereotype depictions in both local and national media in the U.S. as abusive, ignorant, and corrupt. The foundation for prejudice is second-hand evidence that is not accurate and obsolete knowledge that no longer holds value. Both analysis and U.S. media have features of prejudice that exaggerate discrepancies between societies oppositely.

On the other hand, ethnocentrism is the perception regarding one's ethnicity or community as superior to others and the view that other societies are false or correct. African Americans are oppressed against U.S. culture on all news programs, ads, sports, and the Internet. According to Merskin, it is common for people to feel proud, support, and possess their community, and discriminate or despise all outsiders. The parallels between prejudices and ethnocentrism in both media and study are that they go hand in hand and are shared. Another link between the two is that they converge to shape inequality and to support the dominant party. Stereotyping and ethnocentrism toward African Americans in the media have detrimental effects on black people's experiences because they are generalized into categories and do not recognize independent characters and efforts.

In comparison, in the mainstream, Black Americans are viewed as a group and evaluated on the grounds of a cumulative disposition rather than human commitment and determination. Racism is rampant in U.S. culture, where black protagonists are excluded because of the blacks' general stereotyping and portrayed as ignorant, disgusting, and abusive (Merskin). The negative portrayal of blacks in the media as a group is injustice and makes the entire idea of moral judgment meaningless. Consistent stereotypical portrayals of African Americans in the media by mass-mediated narratives establish a communication divide between white and Black Americans (Greason). Second, the stereotyping that African American males are abusive and hostile contributes to confusion between them. Whites, by mistaken assumptions and prejudices, fear to connect with blacks, and African Americans, on the other side, have little interest in whites.

Conclusion

Martin Luther King and Malcolm X both fought for various aspects, such as the end of racism and discrimination among black Americans. However, there are different ways of expressing their views on matters such as segregation and racism. King believe believed in peaceful revolutionary movements in the quest for liberty and equality among black Americans. On the other hand, Malcolm X believed that aggression is the best strategy to fight for liberty and equality since silence has played a significant role in increasing white supremacists and slavery. However, both leaders are attributed to their efforts and determination to end racial segregation in the United States of America.

Works Cited

Greason, W. D. "Segregation." African American Studies Center, 2009, doi:10.1093/acres/9780195301731.013.46189.

King, Martin Luther. "Letter From A Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]." Africa.Upenn.Edu, 1963, https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html.

Malcolm X. "Malcolm X | The Ballot Or The Bullet." Americanradioworks.Publicradio.Org, 1964, https://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/blackspeech/mx.html.

Meskin, Debra. "Media Representation: Minorities." The International Encyclopedia Of Media Effects, 2017, pp. 1-10. Wiley, doi:10.1002/9781118783764.wbieme0147. Accessed December 9, 2020.