Group D Post

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The Ballot or The Bullet speech by Malcolm X is considered to be one of the the most important of the 20th century, and even American History. This Speech given in 1964, an election year, is one where Malcolm X calls out and speaks on many issues regarding African Americans and America, like Self Defense, the Government,and Civil Rights. Overall, Malcolm X’s speech is very straightforward, and as you could tell by the title, The Ballot or The Bullet, he “tells it like it is” throughout. Although at first he tries to be somewhat warm and relatable, using the words we and us, his bluntness quickly takes over as he starts speaking about the condition of African Americans:

“It’s time for us to submerge our differences and realize that it is best for us to first see that we have the same problem, a common problem, we’re all in the same boat and we all are going to catch the same hell from the same man. He just happens to be a white man.”

The speech tackles the topic of the relationship between African Americans and the Government at that time,with Malcolm X stating that African Americans have done so much for so little in return, saying:

” Not only did we give of our free labor, we gave of our blood. Every time he had a call to arms, we were the first ones in uniform. We died on every battlefield the white man had. We have made a greater sacrifice than anybody who’s standing up in America today.”

He takes time to advise African Americans as well, making them aware of the importance of their vote. Malcolm X implies that they need to be more careful and more politically aware because, African Americans, by sticking together and being politically present, could possibly change the landscape of American politics. He criticizes Washington as well, saying that things aren’t as they appear,and that the government cannot be trusted. He adds that the Democrats, a party that African Americans religiously back , is duping them,with Northern Democrats and Southern Democrats (Dixiecrats, segregationists) working together. He repeats the words Democrats and Dixie around the same number of times here, maybe to insist on the fact that they are similar.

“That’s camouflage, that’s trickery, that’s treachery, window-dressing. I’m not trying to knock out the Democrats for the Republicans. We’ll get to them in a minute. But it is true; you put the Democrats first and the Democrats put you last.”

The Skepticism displayed towards the government in this speech is what leads Malcolm X to say the Ballot or the Bullet, stressing on the importance of African American Political awareness and their ability to rise up to gain their voice either violently or non violently. The skepticism displayed in the text can also be seen in the article from the New York Times titled “Young Blacks Voice Skepticism on Hillary Clinton, Worrying Democrats “, published in September 2016. In this Article the same concerns that were brought up by Malcolm X are brought up by the African American youth. With the youth asking questions like, Can we trust them? What have they done? and What will they do for our cause? It is said in the article:

“They are demanding more from politicians as part of a new confrontational wave of black activism that has arisen in response to police killings of unarmed African Americans.[…]because the conversation that younger black voters are having is no longer one about settling on a candidate who is better than the alternative.”

This quote from the Newspaper is a modern translation of Malcolm X’s which, again, emphasizes the importance of African American votes, and political awareness.

“A ballot is like a bullet. You don’t throw your ballots until you see a target, and if that target is not within your reach, keep your ballot in your pocket.”

This could lead to 2 questions. First, Has Malcolm X’s influence led the African American Community to be more Politically Aware now? And Does the government agenda that he mentioned in his text still exist nowadays?

 

 

Group C Post

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Martin Luther King’s “Gives Us the Ballot” speech at the Prayer Pilgrimage of Freedom was an important address in 1957 and still is important today. The speech begins with the reference to the Supreme Court decision of Brown v. the Board of Ed. and how it was strongly opposed, especially by those in the South. King discusses two main issues that African Americans still need in order to thrive in the United States, voting and leadership. Martin Luther King lists what exactly is needed from leadership; leadership from the federal government, from all three branches, leadership from white Northern liberals, leadership from white Southern moderates and leadership from the Black community.

From leadership, King goes forth to discuss Christian morals and Biblical allusions and also how we, as a society, can grow from being oppressed and taken advantage of one another to being a brotherhood of humanity. One important issue that King discusses early on this speech is voting. King stated that “The denial of this sacred right is a tragic betrayal of the highest mandates of our democratic tradition. And so our most urgent request… is to give use the right to vote.” Voting is one of the most fundamental parts of the democratic process and King wants the federal government to grant that freedom to the African American community. King also repeats the phrase “Give us the ballot” six times, each time with a different declaration of fighting against the systematic racism and going towards equality and freedom.

A contemporary text to go with King’s need to fight for the ballot is a Washington Post Article, “Getting a photo ID so you can vote is easy. Unless you’re poor, black, Latino or elderly,” by Sari Horwitz. This article discusses how the adoption of voter ID laws have hindered the ability for citizens to vote, especially those of an ethnic minority, a low socioeconomic class and those who are elderly. Out of the states that took up this law, most of them are Southern states. These are the same states that fought against the Civil Rights Movement and the laws that accompanied it. These laws are basically the modern day polling tax and literacy tests that African Americans confronted after slavery until the Civil Rights Act of 1964. From the article, it appears that the fight and plead started by King lives on to this day.

Questions

What can be done to open the ballot freely to all citizens?

Can we finally carry out MLK’s plan and use the ballot to end the problems of systematic racism?

Sources:

King, Martin Luther Jr.   “Give Us the Ballot.” Washington DC (1957) King Encyclopedia, Stanford University.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/getting-a-photo-id-so-you-can-vote-is-easy-unless-youre-poor-black-latino-or-elderly/2016/05/23/8d5474ec-20f0-11e6-8690-f14ca9de2972_story.html

Group D Post

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When reading Malcolm X’s speech, “The Ballot or The Bullet”, I instantly see parallels between the importance of an election year that he speaks about and the common theme that the 2016 Presidential election is the most important election that we have ever had.

“In this present administration they have in the House of Representatives 257 Democrats to only 177 Republicans. They control two-thirds of the House vote. Why can’t they pass something that will help you and me? In the Senate, there are 67 senators who are of the Democratic Party. Only 33 of them are Republicans. Why, the Democrats have got the government sewed up, and you’re the one who sewed it up for them. And what have they given you for it?”

Current U.S. President Barack Obama made these remarks at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 46th Annual Phoenix Awards Dinner this September:

“There’s no such thing as a vote that doesn’t matter. It all matters. And after we achieved historic turnout in 2008 and 2012, especially in the African-American community, I will consider it a personal insult, a personal insult to my legacy if this community lets down its guard and fails to activate itself in this election. You want to give me a good send off? Go vote.”

Many of the issues brought up in Malcolm X’s speech from 1964 are still in question in 2016. Civil rights, schooling, progress and justice. What stands out is that President Obama’s speech is talking about those same issues. The most glaring note is that it is 52 years later. It seems that Black people still have not been compensated for voting Democrat from then until now.

Should Black people withhold their votes wholesale in order to make politicians make good on their promises in exchange for their votes?

What factors contribute to the overwhelming Black democratic vote?

How important is the “Black vote” and what possible outcomes could result from non participation in the upcoming 2016 Presidential election?

 

Obama, Barack. “Congressional Black Caucus Foundation 46th Annual Phoenix Awards Dinner Remarks.” Washington, D.C.. 17 Sept. 2016. Speech. Chicago Suntimes. Web. 29 Oct. 2016, http://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/obama-if-blacks-dont-vote-an-insult-to-my-legacy-transcript/.

Group C Post – Amson

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Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Give Us the Ballot” Address at the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom in Washington, D.C (1957) was perhaps one of the most important speeches delivered in the Civil Rights Movement.  MLK begins with the Supreme Court decision three years ago and how it was met with fierce opposition by many states before highlighting the hypocrisy of the problem: “The denial of this sacred right is a tragic betrayal of the highest mandates of our democratic tradition”.  Not only does King establish moral inquiry of the problem but posits that they will ensure their basic rights if given the equal right to vote.  He does so precisely when he repeats rhetorically – “Give us the ballot” six consecutive times and each followed by a supporting claim such as alleviating racial hatred and establishing peace and justice after Brown v. Board of Ed.  Being one of the more famous quotes in his speech, as reflected by the title of this address, he articulates his argument superbly when he brings up the necessity for the “fourfold leadership” to “make racial justice a reality”, which he then describes in clarity.  Examining the text as a whole, it is clear how he alludes to Christian morals as the inspiration for the movement when he mentions the mutual “agape” and love of God that seeks not for Black Supremacy, but rather for racial equality and representation.  More importantly, however, I want to focus on the last paragraph because King makes an important prophecy of progression when he says “Keep moving amid every obstacle. Keep moving amid every mountain of opposition”. Although we are not quite there, we have made tremendous progress in racial equality and he can be proud knowing that the minority voice is now taken seriously in American politics.

Because of the nature of the text, it also makes sense to examine the quantitative report titled “An Intriguing Link Between Police Shootings and Black Voter Registration.” by Majumder, Maimuna.  Not only does it alludes to King’s “Give Us the Ballot” address by analyzing recent data on Black Voter Registration, it posits a statistically negative correlation with police shootings of blacks. This is really interesting because King was trying to fight the violence of oppression through the Civil Rights Movement by seeking the equal right to vote.  Astonishingly, the quantitative report supports King’s claim as the findings indeed suggest less police shootings in states where more blacks were registered to vote. However, it also raises a strong sociological question as to why this is the case?

Two questions I suggest to consider are 1) Judging from both texts, to what extent has racial justice become a reality yet due to MLK’s “Give Us the Ballot” address? and 2) If not, is the problem more because of our government or the law enforcement today?
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Reading: King, Martin Luther Jr.   “Give Us the Ballot.” Washington DC (1957) King Encyclopedia, Stanford University.

Relevant contemporary text:  Majumder, Maimuna. “An Intriguing Link Between Police Shootings and Black Voter Registration.” Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 29 Sept. 2016. Web. https://www.wired.com/2016/09/intriguing-link-police-shootings-black-voter-registration/ Accessed 27 Oct 2016.

Post Library Presentation Assignment (Due Tues. October, 25 by 12 noon)

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Due:  Tues., October 25th by 12 noon.

1-Each group member should on their own find one reputable source for each of the four “B.E.A.M.” categories that librarian Stephen Francoeur discussed in his presentation.  This means each group member will present four sources to the group.  Remember “B.E.A.M.”= Background, Exhibits, Arguments, & Method sources.

2-Then as a group, discuss all of your sources.  You  should discuss:  the type, content, and purpose of the source and how strong of a source it is.  You should try to assess how strong of a source it is based on the thoroughness and strength of its citations; author’s acknowledged expertise in regards to the content of the source; reputation of the publishing, reviewing, &/or credentialing institution how you might use it; and (where relevant) how contemporary the source is).

3-Identify which sources seem to be in conversation with each other.  (There are many ways to be in conversation; the sources might complement each other, reinforce each other, or maybe they totally challenge each other, etc.).

4-Pick six sources from your group that you believe are strong and speak together.

5-Based on your understanding of what each of these sources do and how you might use them, write a two paragraph proposal for a research paper.   There is no room for fluff in this proposal, so get straight to the point and strive to be clear.

5a- In the first paragraph, you should immediately introduced the focus topic and the tentative thesis.  The tentative thesis is based on the information you currently have about the topic.  (You might think of it as a hypothesis).

5b-The second paragraph should do two things.  It should first explain how the sources you currently have support the tentative thesis (which shouldn’t be hard since your thesis should be based on your understanding of those sources).  Then identify the two primary goals for further research.   In order to identify what’s most important, you have to think about the particularities of your proposed argument.  If you had to write the paper now, where might the paper be weakest?  What are the logical gaps?  Do you have one piece of evidence but need more of the same kind of evidence?  Do you have enough evidence for one side of the argument but need to find a source that will address the contemporary angle or a British angle etc.?

Due:  Tues., October 25th by 12 noon.

6a-Post Online: The two paragraph proposal + MLA formatted bibliographical entries for the six strongest sources.  (remember to check the appropriate category box).

6b-Email Me:  The two paragraph proposal + MLA-formatted bibliographical entries for the six strongest sources + the four B.E.A.M. sources each individual member found. (Please divide the entries by group members’ names).

Due:  Tues., October 25th by 12 noon.