Culture and Race

¶ … speak the word of peace and write to enable to establish the end of racism, poverty, and everything seems wrote wrong with the world. People such as Malcolm X, Richard Rodriguez and others wrote beautiful pieces on the importance on peace and harmony surrounding everyone in the world. Through the written word and the methods of the Contact Zone, these writers tried to accomplish their goal of making a difference in today's society, which the changes were for the better.

Along with that, these writers have a great impact on how people view the world today on issues such as racism and harmony. Therefore, people like Malcolm X and Richard Rodriguez made a difference through their writings and speeches of peace. Intelligent and articulate, Malcolm was appointed a minister and national spokesman for the Nation of Islam. Elijah Muhammad also charged him with establishing new mosques in cities such as Detroit, Michigan and Harlem, New York.

Malcolm utilized newspaper columns, radio and television to communicate his message pf peace and social equality across the United States. His charisma, drive and conviction attracted an astounding number of new members because he thought everyone should be equal in society as well as in the spirit. Malcolm was largely credited with increasing membership in the Nation of Islam from 500 in 1952 to 30,000 in 1963.

In that case, through his writings and speeches of peace, he made a difference just by believing in his own words and by him doing this, the changes were for the better. However, Racial tensions ran increasingly high during the early 1960s. In addition to the media, Malcolm's vivid personality had captured the government's attention.

As membership in the Nation of Islam continued to grow, FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) agents infiltrated the organization (one even acted at Malcolm's bodyguard) and secretly placed bugs, wiretaps and cameras surveillance equipment to monitor the group's activities. Soon after this happen, Malcolm thought to say these words to express his pain because he wanted peace, harmony, and social equality among everyone. The common goal of 22 million Afro-Americans is respect as human beings, the God-given right to be a human being.

Our common goal is to obtain the human rights that America has been denying us. We can never get civil rights in America until our human rights are first restored. We will never be recognized as citizens there until we are first recognized as humans" (Malcolm X). Even though it may have seemed hopeless sometimes Malcolm still fought his beliefs for what he wanted for society.

This is where he fits into the Contact Zone due to what he wants for society, which is peace, harmony, and social equality for everyone. In 1964, Malcolm made this statement to enhance his message: believe in the brotherhood of man, all men, but I don't believe in brotherhood with anybody who doesn't want brotherhood with me. I believe in treating people right, but I'm not going to waste my time trying to treat somebody right who doesn't know how to return the treatment" (Malcolm X).

Richard Rodriguez, like many of people learns early in his life to deny, erase, or at least minimize the "horrors" of his own Mexican identity and heritage, as he casts his cultural baggage into Angel Island's smoldering furnace. Unfortunately, it is a high price that many of us pay in becoming American. We often lose ourselves, and our cultural and ethnic identities.

So, In his book, Days of Obligation, Rodriguez struggles with so many facets of himself, notably, his ethnic heritage, his sexuality, his sense of guilt at the chasm between who he is and who he has been told to be by parents and his church. It is believe there is a universal element to Rodriguez' struggles. They are the challenges that all human beings encounter in becoming their own unique selves. The added dimension of Rodriguez' Mexican heritage, makes this story all the more fascinating.

A wonderful book to have us think about being ourselves in a world full of others expectations as well as an opportunity to get a closer view of Mexican ethnic influences and the related struggles in a United States where far too many people forget they themselves are immigrants or children of immigrants.

By sending this message Rodriguez along with Malcolm X can relate to the Contact Zone because of their words of peace and social equality Along with Malcolm X, and Richard Rodriguez, Jonathan Kolz supports social equality especially for children. He feels there is an additional form of inequality in school systems like New York.

This inequality comes from the decision of certain people to put their kids into the public system, but then privately subsidize the school their child attends in order to employ more teachers, provide a library (most school libraries have been dismantled in the elementary schools in New York City over the past twenty years), and introduce expensive technology. They refuse to fight for higher tax support for all the children.