Page 12
May 30, 2018
O PINION
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Why Now is the Time to Celebrate Malcolm X
His gift to
American
history
e.d. m ondainé
It must have
been a very sad
and difficult day
for those who in-
sisted on believing
the world was flat
to discover that the
world is indeed round. But round it
is, and this radical paradigm shift
reminds us that throughout histo-
ry the illusions of human culture
must at times give way to proper
alignment with the demands of the
real world.
The legacy of El-Hajj Malik
El-Shabazz (Malcolm X) rep-
resents one such shift, and today
his legacy is more relevant than
ever. Because like the discovery
of our spherical Earth, his life and
his work represented a movement
away from the tired and unjust
distortions of human ideology,
and toward a restorative relation-
ship with the truth that sets all
By
people free.
his can be summed up in the
three critical components that
Malcolm X believed would
strengthen and fortify the
African-American com-
munity. They were: 1) the
need for blacks to become
educated, 2) the rights of
blacks to defend them-
selves, and 3) the urgent
requirement of economic
development in the black
community.
In his critically acclaimed auto-
biography, Malcolm X recites his
own journey to these positions. He
reflects on his life and the lives of
his various personas (like “Detroit
Red,” and “Hustler”) recounting
how he dated white women, lied,
cheated and became a drug-sell-
ing brawler, all to remove himself
from the pains of poverty he had
experienced as a child.
Climbing from the pit of op-
pression, Malcolm X eventually
converted to Islam while serving
time in prison for burglary. Upon
his release from prison in the
1950s he became a steadfast dis-
ciple of the Honorable Elijah Mu-
hammad, and overtime he became
a bitter taste in the mouth of white
America, unleashing unabashed
criticism of classism and white
supremacy.
Naturally this gave momentum
to a white backlash already moving
against Martin Luther King’s gen-
tler and less radical criticisms of
American public life. Adding insult
to injury, Malcolm X’s polished,
pearlized echoes of Muhammad’s
“blue-eyed devil dog” (the myth
of Yacob’s portrayal of white peo-
ple) and his frequent insistence that
black communities had to be pro-
tected “by any means necessary,”
marked him as a threat to white so-
ciety. Soon the name “Malcolm X”
represented a rebel force that white
nationalists feared as an imminent
danger to the United States.
But Malcolm X’s thinking con-
tinued to evolve. In 1964, he began
to question the Nation of Islam’s
leader. Unearthing the truth of
Muhammad’s improprieties, and
pushing back against what he saw
as a flawed ideology, eventually
he parted ways with the Nation of
Islam. This break led him to a pil-
grimage in Mecca -- a requirement
of all Muslims who are physically
able — after which Malcolm X re-
jected the racially divisive teach-
ings of the Nation of Islam.
In a letter written at the time,
he said that seeing Muslims of “all
colors, from blue-eyed blondes to
black-skinned Africans,” helped
him to see the Islamic faith as a
way in which racial problems
could be reconciled. But it also
helped him distill the critical
components listed above, and this
refined focus, and his dedicated
example, became his great gift to
American history.
Malcolm X spent the rest of his
life trying to build a new organiza-
tion, all the while being harassed
by serious and credible death
threats. Ultimately, on Feb. 21,
1965, at the beginning of an Orga-
nization of Afro-American Unity
meeting in Manhattan’s Audubon
Ballroom, Malcolm X was gunned
down by assassins affiliated with
the Nation of Islam.
Later, in eulogizing Malcolm
X, the great African American
thespian Ossie Davis dubbed
Malcolm X, “A prince... our own
black, shining prince, who didn’t
hesitate to die because he loved us
all.” But I am even more moved
by Malcolm’s own words in the
conclusion of his autobiography:
“If I can die having brought any
light, having exposed any mean-
ingful truth that will help destroy
the racist cancer that is malignant
in the body of America, then all of
the credit is due to Allah. Only the
mistakes have been mine.”
This is why we celebrate Mal-
colm X. He reframed the work of
empowering marginalized com-
munities not just as a dream, but
as an imminent reality that must
be lived into in the here and now.
Today our survival depends on
seeing the world in its three-di-
mensional, rounded, and fully re-
alized existence — understanding
that are all of us are the same dis-
tance from its luminous center. In
the name of righteousness, now is
the time we must walk the unbro-
ken circle that binds us together,
joining our commitment as we
join hands around this miraculous,
shared, and collective globe.
E.D. Mondainé is president of
the Portland NAACP and pastor of
Celebration Tabernacle Church.
America’s Cruel Treatment of Palestinians
No words
can describe
my anger and
anguish
r azan a zzarkani
On May 14, Ivanka
Trump, Jared Kush-
ner, and Treasury Sec-
retary Steve Mnuchin
smiled for pictures in
front of the new U.S.
embassy in Jerusalem
with Israeli Prime Minister Ben-
jamin Netanyahu. “Big day for
Israel,“ Donald Trump tweeted.
“Congratulations!“
Meanwhile, just miles away in
Gaza, Yazan Ibraheem Moham-
med Al-Tubassi lay dying after
repeatedly being shot by Israeli
troops during protests at the Gaza
border fence. Elsewhere, relatives
of Taher Ahmed Madi — anoth-
er shooting victim — carried his
body home from the hospital to
prepare for his funeral.
No words can describe the an-
ger and anguish I feel as a Pales-
tinian in America watching this
unfold.
Along the Gaza fence, Israeli
By
troops have gunned down thou-
sands of unarmed Palestinian
protesters, killing 60 and injuring
over 2,700 in a matter of days.
Many were teenagers, women,
and children.
The
protests
weren’t about the
relocation of the
U.S. embassy. They
began several weeks
ago to mark the an-
niversary of the
Nakba, or “catastro-
phe” — the mass
exodus and ethnic
choose this day for the relocation
of the embassy while Palestinians
were being murdered just 60 miles
away is horrendously cruel. The
United States has proven that it
isn’t only indifferent toward Isra-
el’s treatment of Palestinians, but
has actively green lit the violence
of the past few weeks.
In 1948, my grandparents,
whose families had lived in Pal-
estine for hundreds of years, were
forced out of the only home they
ever knew. Practically overnight,
they were made into refugees and
forced to make the almost 200-
Palestine, never saw it again. They
passed away in Jordan, leaving the
key to their house in Palestine with
my family. We still have it today,
serving as a reminder of our roots
— and of the abuse my family and
so many others have suffered un-
der Israel.
Still, I’m reminded that my
grandparents were fortunate
enough to make it out alive. The
millions who have been forced
into Gaza cannot say the same.
They aren’t free to come and go as
they choose, but remain locked in
the world’s largest open air pris-
I’m reminded that my grandparents were
fortunate enough to make it out alive. The
millions who have been forced into Gaza cannot
say the same.
cleansing of hundreds of thou-
sands of Palestinians since Israel’s
founding in 1948.
Every year, while Israelis cel-
ebrate the establishment of their
state, millions of Palestinians
mourn the end to their existence
as they knew it.
For the Trump administration to
mile journey to Jordan on foot.
Leaving behind their belong-
ings, family, and memories, they
settled in Jordan, hoping the in-
ternational community would
help them one day return to their
homes.
My grandparents, who never
stopped talking about their life in
on — cut down if they so much as
approach the “border fence“ with
Israel.
Inside they suffer unimaginable
conditions.
Only 10 percent of Gazans
have access to safe drinking wa-
ter, almost half of the population
is unemployed, and over 70 per-
cent live in poverty. They get
only a few hours of electricity
a day. Not to mention the psy-
chological effects of living un-
der siege, and the daily fear of
attacks by Israel.
Now, politicians across the U.S.
are voicing their support for the
embassy relocation, while other
countries announce their decision
to follow America’s lead.
It’s infuriating to see my own
country actively condoning brutal
violence against my people while
other countries sit back and watch.
How can Palestinians ever trust a
“peace process“ led by an admin-
istration that degrades them this
way?
I keep hearing people say that
Gazans need to “protest peace-
fully“ as Israeli snipers gun them
down methodically. They’re being
given two options: Either suffer
inhumane treatment or get killed
protesting it. It’s not much of a
choice.
No one would passively ac-
cept a life like this. Why should
Gazans?
Razan Azzarkani is a Pales-
tinian American living in Virgin-
ia and working at the Center for
Global Policy. Distributed by Oth-
erWords.org.