Happy Birthday Malcolm -

[socialist_n_TN]

2. Malcolm X was a huge influence on me when I was in my early teens.......

I didn't know much about politics at that time, but I did know that Malcolm was hated and feared by a lot of my elders. One of the biggest fears and reasons for the hatred was his beliefs on self-defense. Something along the lines of *paraphrasing*, "I've got a rifle and I've got a shotgun and I won't hesitate to use it to defend my family if the Klan comes to attack me."

I was 13 or 14 when I first heard that and I couldn't see where that was any different than what I heard from all of my white elders, including some family and their friends. The only difference I could see was that Malcolm was black rather than white. Other than that IT WAS THE SAME SENTIMENT! I couldn't abide the unfairness of that attitude just because of color. So that was a turning point for me. Ergo, a big influence on my future political development.

So, thanks Malcolm X. You were a positive influence on at least one white, southern kid.