Malcolm X was an integral figure in the American civil rights movement. He remains an inspiration, a bugbear and a dorm room poster and coffee mug graphic second only to Che Guevara. The thing that throws people, especially in the vile political atmosphere of the early 21st century, is that Malcolm X appears to be a man who changed his mind when faced with new facts. That is a political blasphemy no faction seems prepared to tolerate.
Today is Malcolm X’s birthday. He would have been 86 had he not been murdered in 1965. Since 1971, this date also marks Malcolm X Day. So it might be the right time to make up your own mind. There are tons of online resources available to learn about the man. We have put together a sample of them. Even if you’ve already decided how you feel about him, maybe this is an opportunity to revisit your conclusions. You may change your mind about him. Stranger things have happened.
Sponsor
19th May: Malcolm X Day on Facebook. Liked by people like Cornel West and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kofi Annan, this Facebook page celebrates the man and his day.
Malcom X on Wikipedia. This is a good overall introduction to the man, his ideas and the main events in his life.
MalcolmX.com. The “Official Web Site of Malcolm X” features biographical information, a timeline, quotes and photos. It is run by CMG Worldwide, the “exclusive business representative for Estate of Malcolm X.”
BrotherMalcolm.net. Brother Malcom is a research site run by Abdul Alkalimat at the University of Toledo. With a focus on “cyberdemocratic” principles, the site’s stated goal “is to have all public information on this site so that everyone in the world can have equal access.” It carries a lot of academic papers and reports but unfortunately seems only to have been kept current for three years.
Malcolm on YouTube. YouTube holds a number of Malcolm’s speeches, including the Oxford Union debate and the Ford Forum.
E-books. Malcolm X is represented (though not well represented) on both the Kindle and the Nook stores, including the seminal “Autobiography of Malcolm X.”
Unfortunately, apps are not very well represented when it comes to tools for understanding the man’s life and his role in the history of civil rights. They’re mostly just quote generators, certainly useful but not exactly utilizing the full-spectrum of mobile tech.
Help us fill out this list. Share your favorite online and mobile resources for Malcolm X and for civil rights history in general.
Malcolm head photo from Pingnews
0 Responses
Stay in touch with the conversation, subscribe to the RSS feed for comments on this post.