By Ruqayyah Taylor
May is the month Malcolm X was born. He is more than a historical figure. He represents a beacon of hope for many that justice can be achieved for Black people.
In 1961, Malcolm visited my school, Howard University, for a debate with Bayard Rustin, a pacifist Quaker and close adviser to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. At the time of his visit, Malcolm was a minister in the Nation of Islam. The question of the debate was: Should African Americans be against or for racial separation? That question divided the country between those who followed Dr. King, those who followed the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and those who either didn’t care or couldn’t decide.
The legacy of Malcolm X has endured for decades. He continues to inspire. As a journalism student at Howard University, I wanted to know: What do young people today think about Malcolm X? I interviewed a few of my schoolmates and these are some of their responses.
Ruqayyah Taylor is a junior journalism major and English minor, from Norristown, PA. She is a first-generation college student currently studying at Howard University. Her love for journalism began in high school, working with her school newspaper. Fast forward to now, her passion for writing stories is deeper than ever. She hopes to give back to others in need by becoming a valuable voice and an advocate for underrepresented communities. She aims for her writing to be a means of expression that uplifts people, challenges stereotypes, and creates awareness of numerous prevalent issues in society today. When it comes to her writing, she lives by this quote by the amazing Ida B. Wells: “There must always be a remedy for wrong and injustice, if we only know how to find it.”
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