CONSIDER the key people, events, and ideas we’ve studied this unit, including:
• Muhammad Ali’s religious and political awakening, and his refusal to be drafted into the U.S. military.
• The protest at Howard University, and the dispute over the definition and responsibilities of a Black institution.
• Malcolm X’s insistence that Black liberation can only happen with the exclusion of White people.
• The separatist ideology of the Nation of Islam (NOI), as explained by Hon. Elijah Muhammad.
• James Baldwin’s skepticism of that ideology, and his advocacy for love and empathy over hatred and fear.
Consider the specific systems at the center of each conflict: military, sports/entertainment, education, political, economic, and religious. How have those systems in particular been informed by the historically racist society in which they operate.
Step 2.
COMPOSE a cohesive argument (1200-1500 words) that responds to this question:
If a group finds itself marginalized, oppressed, or otherwise harmed by a given system, and it intends to liberate itself…
Should that group work within the rules, context, and boundaries, of that system?
OR
Should that group work to subvert, disrupt, and dismantle that system?
Your argument should address the following questions: Can members of that group benefit from that system? Can they ever become full members of a divided society, with all the rights and privileges therein? Can both “sides” coexist and share the same interests and values, or does the nature of that division make the damage irreparable? And if there can be no justice, how does that group ever find peace?
