The Legacy of Malcolm X Part 1 with Ranjan Wali (Tinku) and Sunny Sharma

Send us Fan MailIn this podcast, Sunny and Tinku discuss the impact and legacy of one of the greatest intellectuals of common sense, self determination, equality, dignity, and self respect in the 20th century Malcolm X.Malcolm X through the power of persuasion and oratory built the nation of Islam and was at the pinnacle of forming an international coalition of African and Middle Eastern nations to transform the issue of civil rights into human rights by bringing the issue of segregation/second class citizenship to the United Nations. Being a self made man, Malcolm was an icon representing the tidal wave of political independence and revolution occurring in the global south as well as the aspirations of Afro Americans in America seeking a better life than their forefathers who were condemned to a life of obscurity, disempowerment, and discrimination normally relegated to the underclass of any society. Malcolm X miraculous rise to stardom in the Nation Islam was met with both praise and approbation by those in his community as well as outside forces hell bent on seeing his platform smashed to pieces. He excited millions of black and brown people across the world to strive for political freedom, social cohesion, economic independence, cultural reform, and justice. Along with Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., he gave an inherent meaning of egalitarianism to the Civil rights struggle, but in many ways he transcended the normal perspective of what it meant to be black in America. If as one of the greatest writers of the Civil rights era James Baldwin said, "There is no system of reality for black people in America," Malcolm X may very well have transformed this notion into one of cultural achievement in outlook that even though may not be triumphant is forever imbedded in the collective conscious of blacks and all oppressed people around the globe. For as Malcolm X says "Truth is on the side of the oppressed."