Voting 9/30/09

Malcolm often would say that the black man was "politically sick" because he believed that the black man had the power to change their society, but they didn't vote so they really couldn't change it without taking action. He says in his book that black people need to be more involved in helping their communities and that there should be buildings that deal with each and every one of people's needs. You can start to see the change in him in this section and his "divorce" from Mr. Muhammad's form of teaching Islam because he actually wants to start a group that has every black man as a member and if white people want to join they can't, but the difference is that Malcolm would let them help financially if they wanted to. He begins to think about the trip to Mecca, or Hajj, as this action is called, and he goes to his sister Ella to ask for money. This reminds me of how my family works in how they are always arguing, but no matter what, if they need any help financially or emotionally they stick together.

Jealousy 9/29/09

Malcolm X visited many colleges and universities, but in one particular one he recalls of one black man who kept acting completely disrespectful by asking questions in a rude manner. Malcolm asked the man if he was studying law and the well spoken man said yes, and with that Malcolm told him that the white man has a name for him..."nigger". When Malcolm would tell Mr. Muhammad about his speeches at universities Mr. Muhammad would feel bad about himself because he didn't feel "equipped" for those trials of speeches. This makes me feel sorry for Mr. Muhammad because he is trying to get his message out to the whole world, but he can't do it because he doesn't feel educated enough to be in college level debates.

Media 9/23/09

During Malcolm's interviews and debates he would discuss how the black man isn't being violent and that it is just defending itself against attacks. He talks about how he doesn't feel proud or grateful that after four hundred years of slavery and abuse that a black person can get a job. He also talks about how the white man is unjust because the white man feels like he can send the black man to die for him in a war, but he will not give the same rights as he has, and that the white man gets angry if he doesn't go to die for him.

Curing Junkies 9/22/09

In this part of the story Malcolm tells how exactly they cured junkies. The junkie would see a recognized ex-junkie and he would use slang to convince the junkie that he can be trusted. Next they would tell them that it was killing them and that they needed to quit drugs and go "cold turkey", they would also bring some of their religion into as well, the ex-junkie would tell them how the white man was using drugs to keep the black man down. The ex-junkie would also take them to a mosque with other black people who would call them "Sir" or "Mr." and that would help the junkie feel black pride within himself. After a while the junkie would decide he is going to try to go for a period of time without drugs and when he does the ex-junkie is there to help him through it mentally and emotionally. When the junkie is cured, he then goes to the streets and cures others.

Black Muslims 9/21/09

In many of the rallies that the muslims would have around the country, Elijah Muhammad would have an hour and thirty minute long speech that would be introduced by Malcolm. Mr. Muhammad would talk about how they need to tell the white man that they are going to take their freedom no matter what because black people know how to and they should start building their own companies, farming their own land, and creating new industries because that's the only way that black people can show the white man that they are able to do things on their own. Elijah Muhammad even states the fact that clinics ask muslims for help in curing junkies. The muslim's techniques work so well because the people who help out the addicts are ex-addicts themselves or they either know the addict and that would help them mentally because they trust the "curer".

Out Of Jail 9/17/09

After getting out of jail Malcolm goes to Detroit to live with his brother Philbert who is a man that is very dedicated to his religion of Islam. For Malcolm to get out of jail it was required that he get a job with his brother and so he did. They worked at a furniture store and everyday Philbert would teach Malcolm about the daily practices of their people, such as washing before prayer to cleanse the body and mind, having breakfast with only drinks and no solid foods. The first visit to the temple takes Malcolm by surprise because of how everybody around him acted so calmly and kindly. After some time Malcolm finds out that he'll get to meet Elijah Muhammad in person and when he does Elijah Muhammad makes him stand up in front of 200 people and inspires him to go "fishing" for more people to believe in the Islam religion.

9/16/09

During his time in jail Malcolm X was sent to a new prison, Concord Prison, where it was much nicer and the guards were less abusive. It had more visiting hours and a huge library with a wide variety of books that was left by an old doctor who had passed away. When his brother Reginald came to visit him one day he explained to him the religion of Islam and talked about how the "white man" was actually a "devil race" that had raped, killed, and pillaged the "original black man". His sister Hilda also came telling him that the white man had kidnapped the black man and brought him to America and had brainwashed him into thinking that the black man was inferior and that he should try to be more and more like the black man. This got Malcolm thinking about his whole life and how he felt he was brainwashed by the white man and his idea. This got me thinking about how the media seems to be trying to influence younger people to believe what they believe.

Getting Out 9/14/09

While in jail, Malcolm meets a man named Bimbi, who is always talking about things about the government that he's read in books, and also saying that the white man is no different than the negro. One day Bimbi tells Malcolm to start reading educated books. To pass time Malcolm would read or listen to the radio, during this time Malcolm became a huge fanatic of Jackie Robinson and at the end of every game he would say his stats. He would also write letters to the rest of his brothers and sisters. Philbert wrote him a letter saying that he had joined a religion that called itself "Nation of Islam" and also told him to stop smoking and eating pork. This reminds me of every time me and my family have to making a promise either to do something or not to do something for 40 days and it's an extremely hard promise to keep most of the time.

Reginald Hustles 9/9/09

During this part of the book Malcolm goes from selling weed and reefers to robbing apartments and using cocaine with his most trusted friend, Sammy The Pimp. They had "cased", memorized, an apartment in which they could steal quickly and thoroughly. Malcolm later meets again with his younger brother, Reginald, and convinces him to stay with him to sell drugs as well. This reminds me of the time when somebody I knew got into drugs and how they had an unhappy life for a while until they eventually stopped.