tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010086309974781816.post849907507362871843..comments2013-05-14T17:38:17.881-07:00Comments on GW English 3810: 20th Century U.S. Black Freedom Movements Class Blog: Malcolm X's View on Women Elizabeth Pittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257158252306308004noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010086309974781816.post-26507910910643049672013-03-01T14:21:35.706-08:002013-03-01T14:21:35.706-08:00Maria,
I also like your choice of topic here. I th...Maria,<br />I also like your choice of topic here. I think it is important for us, as we study our relatively recent history to pay attention to the important role of women. I am currently taking a class on the History or Rome, a history that is sadly almost completely void of any mention of the roles of women. Our text brought up this void (8 chapters in), and attempted to rationalize it by the fact that Roman historians were men who did not see women has influential to history and thus not worthy of note. As we examine our own histories, as I believe we are doing in this class, it is important that we leave no such voids for those who come after us. Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16477185201398629392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010086309974781816.post-27159077446340415682013-02-25T18:36:26.275-08:002013-02-25T18:36:26.275-08:00I think this is a really interesting debate.
Rega...I think this is a really interesting debate. <br />Regardless of whether his sister was mentioned in the original post I have noticed, throughout the course and what I have been taught about the Civil Rights Movement in my degree as a whole, the favouring of the masculined leader over the feminised.<br /><br />This is obviously a very general statement, most of history neglects to highlight the incremental roles women played in key events and movements. <br /><br />I feel like this era more than most is remembered by the average person as representative of the words and actions of great men. I mentioned this in my presentation when I discussed the exclusion of Mamie Clark's contribution to the Brown Decision in my education in England. <br /><br />I am grateful that as a student of American Studies I am able to learn about women such as Fanny Lou Hamer, Ella Baker and Malcolm X's half-sister. It saddens me that these people are not more widely known. King and X need no introduction but even in a class about the movement itself the work of Baker and Hamer needs explaining. <br /><br />I think you make crucial points, Maria. Although he does speak highly of one woman, it does not mean that his ideology was geared towards them.Scarlet McNallyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08976837859244725093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010086309974781816.post-43197586681725556202013-02-25T18:08:26.700-08:002013-02-25T18:08:26.700-08:00Maria,
I really liked that you picked the subject...Maria,<br /><br />I really liked that you picked the subject of Malcolm X and women. The lack of recognition of women is something that plagues almost all forms of art. In particular, I think Malcolm X's relationship with his mother and his tendency to see her as "weak" is an interesting one. In contrast, he seems to view his half-sister as a strong, black woman. Although he clearly has a special relationship with Ella, I think that, in general, his rhetoric leaves out women and exemplifies masculinity in the civil rights movement. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08150231999085172236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010086309974781816.post-29398623128641357752013-02-24T13:43:09.542-08:002013-02-24T13:43:09.542-08:00Matthew,
Thank you for pointing out this very cru...Matthew, <br />Thank you for pointing out this very crucial fact to me. I focused too much on Malcolm's mother and didn't take enough time or space to write about Ella. She certainly deserves recognition. <br />MariaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010086309974781816.post-36210428997388857002013-02-24T13:41:15.112-08:002013-02-24T13:41:15.112-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010086309974781816.post-48128381549805732912013-02-24T05:43:07.969-08:002013-02-24T05:43:07.969-08:00Response from Matthew Gennari:
Hi Maria,
You mak...Response from Matthew Gennari:<br /><br />Hi Maria,<br /><br />You make some very interesting observations here. One important woman<br />you are leaving out though is Malcolm's half-sister Ella. In the<br />autobiography Malcolm says ''She was the first really proud black<br />woman I had ever seen in my life'', and says of her taking him into<br />her home in Roxbury that ''No physical move in my life has been more<br />pivotal or profound in its repercussions.'' He also later recruited<br />her into the Nation of Islam, and when she left the NOI she apparently<br />persuaded Malcolm to get away from Elijah Muhammad and broaden his<br />perspective. The obituary from The New York Times is linked below, and<br />claims that she gave him money for his pilgrimage. Some food for<br />thought.<br /><br />http://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/06/us/ella-collins-82-relative-who-aided-malcolm-x.htmlElizabeth Pittmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15257158252306308004noreply@blogger.com