Malcolm X, Loewen, & the Confederate Flag

My first impression of the Malcolm X autobiography is one of ambivalence. The stories of his harsh childhood and the way his family was torn apart makes me want to sympathize with him, but some of the language he uses and the way he writes about whites makes me want to take a step back. It is definitely an intriguing read. Also, like Kyle said, Malcolm X has always just been a name to me, so it will be interesting to learn more about him.

The scenes that have caught my attention the most were about the "conk" hairstyle and the mentioned differences between the attitudes of the different people and different races of people in Lansing versus Boston.

Loewen's chapter, "John Brown and Abraham Lincoln" was a controversial one for me. The whole section about John Brown certainly caught my interest. I don't even remember him being mentioned in my high school history books (that doesn't necessarily mean he wasn't). I really enjoyed the section about Abraham Lincoln and his turmoil concerning his personal and public positions on slavery. It makes him so much more real than a lot of people and books would present him. I enjoy learning more about the Civil War, having been to Civil War reenactments and having read extracurricularly about it in the past. I wasn't sure I agreed with everything Loewen had to say though. Some of his ideas (for example, about why the Civil War was fought) 1) go against what I have learned from persons I trust and admire greatly and 2) are not things simply stated or for one person to decide. The Civil War was complicated and terrible. I find it hard to make or hear judgments about either side. I know people who believe one thing with strong reason and people who believe another, opposing thing also with strong reason. The one thing I am sure of is that slavery was and still is wrong.

Our discussion in class about the Confederate flag was a tough topic. It surprised me just how much we had to say and just how different people's opinions were. I thought I knew where I stood, but after class I have been unsure. I have participated in Civil War reenactments though and own a handkerchief bearing the design of the stars and bars that I use as a "Southern" reenactor. I am not ashamed this. Would I fly a Confederate flag in front of my house? No. It's rather crazy how much tension remains over a war that happened so long ago. It just proves that problems as big as racism and states'/individual/civil rights do not go away or get resolved quickly or easily.