Connecting the Past and Present
Since the end of slavery African Americans have been divided. One side of the African American community is the Ballot, or the integration side. These African Americans believe that the only way we as a people can grow is by having equal opportunities. We must go to the same schools as whites; we must receive the same health benefits as whites. Without equality we are doomed as a people and a nation. On the other side, the bullet or separatist, believe that the only way to excel is by having our own, first. We can only grow if we have our own schools, our own stores. They believe the United States should give African Americans their own nation within a nation, and let them govern it also. There are many examples of these two sides, but Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. epitomize the traits. Malcolm X, for the most part, embodies the bullet characteristics, while Martin Luther King Jr. embodies the ballet. These two sides fluctuated throughout the years. The ballet seemed most effective during the Civil Rights era, but after the deaths of both leaders, the bullet seemed to reign supreme. Both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X envisioned African Americans making it to the ‘Promise Land’, but they had slightly different routes. This ‘Promise Land’, as Dr. King put it, consisted of people of all colors living amongst each other in peace. After the death of both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, many African Americans endorsed the separatist state of mind. Groups like the Black panthers flourished and events like the L.A. riots became a reality. In 2008, the first African American to be the Democratic nominee also became president- elect. The election of Barack Obama signifies that the ballot was the most productive weapon in the battle for African American equality.
Many would agree that Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. were two of the most inverse personalities of the civil rights generation. Malcolm X was...