I also agree that Gandhi, while not perfect, was a genius to be learned from (even geniuses sometimes have skeletons in the closet).

But Biko seems to stand out to me. He was able to express thoughts about privilege and inequity in such a way that spoke to both black and white, powerful and powerless. He was both a visionary and a man of action. He taught us all (black and white, and brown, and red, etc) not only the inherent beauty and goodness of being Black, but also, and perhaps even more significantly, of being human.

Again, thanks for all this wonderful food for thought.
Respectfully…

I think now the term I would use is NOI was intolerant whereas the society was definitely racist.

I want to challenge your accertion that Malcolm X was a racist when he was in the NOI, or that the NOI is racist.
Racism is a power relationship between groups based upon color. It is a group concept and occurs when one group has so much power that it can force another group to do what it wants. Its purpose is the uneven and unfair distribution of power, privilege, land and wealth to Whites.

That is my definition of Racism. I am trying to figure out how Malcolm X even when he was in the NOI was racist, and I want some examples of him controlling whites, stopping whites from getting jobs, killing whites, passing legislation in which put whites in aparthied…

Malcolm X was never an racist, even when he was in the NOI, I think you should study all his work and put it in context with reality.. Sometimes the truth hurt, we African must drop our inferioir complex just because a white person bark at you. What she said was racist and was done to control your thinking, the last thing white people want is for Africans to unite around the ideas of Malcolm X, Thomas Sankara, Robert mugabe, and begin to get justice and equality……

Google: Thomas Sankara

Whites are very tricky and use alot of tricks to keep their power and wealth. I find it funny when I see a black man apologizing for Malcolm X to some white racist, if a white person think Malcolm X is racist, who cares, let her think, Malcolm X was our brother, not hers.

I am an African in American. Malcolm X was not a racist, but one thing I will say before I start me reponse. Malcolm Xs father was killed by white men, four of Malcolm Xs uncle were kill white men, yet Malcolm X never killed on white person.

Malcolm X was actually quite right and years later we see intergration has failed African Americans. The Civil Rights leaders on the 1960s were more concerned with how white people felt than the own needs of their people, thats why African Americans in 2009, still have no acheived racial justice or economic justice for slavery and jim crow. White people fled the urban areas when intergregation begin and took control over black businesss, black schools and other things the black community could call their own. Thats why today African Americans have lost all the gains they have made economically in 1954, today we have the highest unemployment, high incarceration rate, we are underpresented in everything. I believe in Jesus Christ, but American Chrisity was rooted in a false doctrine was filled with racism, used to make Africans feel inferior to white people. Malcolm X told the truth, and the NOI told the truth, in that period, how many innocent blacks were getting bombed and killed.

I find it funny that caustic blonde would call Malcolm X a racist for reacting like any human being would when their race is getting exterminated by whites. White American had segregated black people in the ghettos not Malcolm X, it was white people who had Hire White Only Signs in the south not Malcolm X, the American Government was the racist, Malcolm X reacted to it, and he told the truth, and the truths MalCOlm X spoke then, is true now. You want to talk about racist look at the slave owning authors of the American constitution…

I find it funny how white people insult your intelligence, calling our great leader Malcolm X a racist because he told the truth and didnt want us to be docile slaves for white society. Africans in America are in 2009 largely segregated from white society, dependant on whites for jobs and thats how racist like blonde want it. Afrians must realize the freedom we want will upset white people, and I say so be it, because they damn sure arent losing sleep over insulting and being racist toward us.

Saying that Malcom X is a hero for black people is like saying the Ku Klux Klan is a hero for white people. I want to end this by saying, love who you are, but not at the expense of someone else.

Ku Klux Klan killed Malcolm X father, how many white men did Malcolm X kill???

The NOI came about as a reaction to white racism, and the stuff they taught and said asa a whole was the truth, I dont agree with their religion but why do white racist make uneven comparisons….

Ku Klux Klan killed black babies, women and innocent ment…. and the NOI is racist for calling those actions devil… Seem like a black person is racist if they want to defend themsleves against white racism, in that case you can call me a racist 10 fold

Vela

Here’s an audio recording of Oliver Tambo (introduction by H. Belafonte). What a beautiful voice, literally and figuratively.

http://africanactivist.msu.edu/audio.php?objectid=1

Now my approach is quite simple, I focus on a problem and while I try to become a part of the actual, physical solution to the problem, I read up on it, study it, immerse myself in it, listen to experts etc etc and try to close my mind off to all other information that may inhibit my ability to focus on that problem.

My problem is what I talk about on this blog, helping my fellow African immigrants and the various journeys and odysseys therein. I am glad I have the grounding I received in studying the works of various black consciousness, civil rights, Afrocentric thinkers and watching documentaries etc etc but at the moment it is not my focus.

So, I will just make you aware that I am probably not the best person to discuss these issues with if you want to go into depth because I am not currently a student of that work.

On a final note, don’t come to my home and disrespect and insult me, it’s not a good look and I don’t appreciate that.