Analysis Assignment Cultural

Reflection PaperShavonne Floyd

July 29, 2009

National UniversitySan Jose, CA

I read the Autobiography of Malcolm X as a teenager. Inspired by his movie I decided to

read his book. This is a great book for all people to read because it gives a great insight

of the oppressed people and their ignorance in America. Malcolm's time in

Massachusetts’s state prison is a period of intellectual growth and religious upheaval.

This time is what makes Malcolm begin to view his life differently. He goes into the

state prison known as Malcolm Little, but he comes out reclaiming his identity as

Malcolm X. X stands for the unknown name that the slaver traders stole from his African

ancestors.

The most important thing that has been taken away from us as a people was the history of

our people. As we start to put the pieces back together we uncover the truth about whom

we really are. Our people have been brain washed to believe that we were nothing but

mere animals that were saved by white men. That we were jungle people who lived like

other wild animals in the hot deserts of Africa. They feed lies to us to keep us oppressed

to the ways of white society. It was told to us that black was wrong and white was the

right way, so blacks started to believe that in order to be right they must be more like

whites.

In the autobiography Malcolm tells us how his father was a preacher and he was his

favorite son. Malcolm was the fairest of the children, which made his father love him

even more. This is something that I see in the black communities and even in my family

as well. People passing for white or lighter skin African Americans having a so called

better or easier life than those of darker skin. The lighter you are the more accepted you

are in society because you reflect white skin beauty. This is a struggle with many people

of color. People feel that the fairer skin you are the prettier and more accepted you will be

to society. As a darker skinner African American I have been teased for being dark, I

have been told that I am pretty for a dark skin girl, and much more. For years I was

uncomfortable in the skin I was in. Not accepting my roots and the beauty of my skin I

struggled all the way through high school. It gave me low self-esteem, it affected my

schoolwork, it made me feel like an outsider for the majority of my life. I was ugly in

societies eyes, but eventually I saw the beauty that starred back at me. The beauty that

was within gave a glow to the beauty on the outside. Like Malcolm there came a point

through educating myself that I found myself.

Like so many before and after him Malcolm heard the words of his white teacher tell him

that he would be better suited as a carpenter rather than a lawyer. Being a high achieving

student in junior high school and the class president Malcolm could not understand why

his teacher would say that to him. The only conclusion he could come up with was that

His English teacher demonstrates the ideas that whites are willing to allow black success

only to a certain point. As long as that point is not above other whites they are content

with your success. Even today you have teachers that still think like that and few that

will allow that to be said out loud to their students. People still feel that boys of color

have one future and that is an inmate in the penitentiaries. The jails her in America our

making money off of our young black men today, they are building and waiting for them

to slip up and fall into the cycle that is so hard to break. Malcolm was lucky enough to

not be another statistic.

With the lack of role models in the black communities it makes it hard to see something

beyond your means. If you only see poverty then your mind only knows poverty. Most

kids limit themselves because they never see a way out. The only moneymaking people

in their neighborhoods are those of dope dealers or hustler. In American it is easy to keep

a group of people oppressed by limiting them to the bare minimum, making them rely on

a system that is created to keeping them from getting ahead, and lying to them about the

history of who they are and what they are capable of doing. Had Malcolm’s teacher

encouraged him to reach for his dream he may have been another middle class lawyer,

but yet he pushed him to trip up and come out as a leader in the end. It is rare that the

outcome is as positive as Malcolm. Most men don’t get a second chance and when they

do they find themselves worse off then they were before they went to prison.

With the lack of black fathers in the household it makes it hard for a mother to raise a

strong black man. A boy needs his father to help mode and shape him into the productive

citizen that he should be. A mother can only do so much before that boy goes to find the

influence he needs in his life. Most of the black households are single women raising

their kids. As they struggle to make ends meat that boy will feel like he must go and find

a way out of know way to help his mother; which leaves no room for school or a good

education.

After being released from prison Malcolm joins the Nation of Islam. One thing that has

always kept the black community spirit of hope alive was the church. Malcolm like many

others found a new beginning in the church of Islam. After meeting Mr. Elijah

Mohammed, Malcolm was eventually on the top of the nation of Islam speaking and

recruiting other people pf color. One thing about Malcolm he was only interested in

helping those of color. He was not interested in educating the white man. He felt that we

couldn’t unite as Americans if we do not first start uniting together as a people of color.

Blacks had to first come together and work toward gaining back so many years of the

history that we lost over time. We must work through are problems that we have as a

people before we can work with those outside of our race.

As a teacher in the classroom and as a students myself I have experience the needs and

wants of students of color. As a student of color I never felt understood. I couldn’t relate

to most of my classmates experiences or to my teachers. I always felt lost and behind on

everything going on. There was never any one-on-one help from my teacher or interest in

my life and maybe what I needed from them in order to succeed. Being one of maybe two

or three black people in a class of over twenty you get lost quickly in the crowed. You are

seen for the color of your skin but unheard. You then tend to navigate closer to those of

color who you can identify with and feel understood by. I met my best friend in fifteen

years ago in our sixth grade classroom that consisted of two African American girls and

one African American young man. When something went wrong we stood up for one

another, when we didn’t understand the lesson we asked each other for help, we played

with each other, we understood one another. Malcolm left his predominate white school

and family to move to a city where he could relate to the people. He left looking for

fulfillment as a man and as a human.

Once I got into the classroom I knew that I had to take all of the negative that my kids

have heard and experienced throughout their life and turn it into a positive outlook on

what life can offer them. Like Malcolm’s biography talked about it is not going to be

easy. Nothing is going to be given to you in this world. All of the odds are going to be

stacked against you as you reach for success. But there is nothing that can keep you from

your goals and dreams but yourself. We have to learn to stop pointing the finger at what

the odds are and look at what we have working in our favor, then use that to get ahead.

With a African American president in the white house there can not be anymore excuses

on what we can’t do and more talk about what we can do.

We need to look at all of our students as high achievers. Once we start to believe it it is

then that our students will believe more in what they can do. Last year I helped develop a

dance team to help gives our girls an outlet on their life. With sixteen girls we not only

taught them dance but how to be a sophisticated lady, with good grades and positive

attitudes. Right away we heard great reviews from their teachers. I have supported my

students in the classroom and outside of the classroom with before and after school

tutorial and in their after school sports activities. From dance recitals, to basketball and

football games they have felt the love and support that they needed. In the classroom I

learned to be stern but understanding. I brought to my classroom a new outlook on life

and what opportunities a good education can bring them. I taught lessons that they can

identify with, stories that they can relate to, projects that they enjoyed working on and

writing techniques that they can use in their classrooms. Once you supply them with the

tools and encourage them that they are equipped in using them now on their own they

will then begin to see how to break down those barriers and succeed in life.

I am looking for a chance to come to California and continue to make a difference in the

classrooms here as well. I am experienced and eager to work in a school like yours.