How to inspire change

Reading “The Ballot or the Bullet” by Malcolm X this week, I struggled to understand why Malcolm X would advocate violence to deliver his message when there are so many other methods of bringing attention to and handling important issues including rallying, petitions and action by government leaders. To me violence is always the wrong choice. However when I compared Malcolm X to his contemporaries, I began to understand how he might resort to harsher means to forward a movement. Famous speaker, Booker T. Washington suggested African Americans ease into gaining their rights and maintain good values so as to prove to the white majority they are equal. These views were accepted by many white men who still placed heavy restrictions on African Americans. Many African Americans considered this position a set-back for the movement because it slowed the pace of change. Malcolm X, as well as writer W.E.B. DuBois, were against Booker T. Washington’s views and sought immediate full-justice. This is Malcolm X’s point in “The Ballot or the Bullet” but his message is overshadowed by the violence he condones.

President Obama sits in the Montgomery bus where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat.
Image found here. 

From history we see change happen when groups rally behind an issue. Political martyrs are huge symbols of change that can start a revolution. Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr. and JFK are just some examples of figures whose struggles or death have become a symbol for a movement. Martyrs are so powerful because people rally behind the injustice of death. Part of Socrates’ reasoning for maintaining his innocence and facing his own death sentence was to set an example to his followers that he was a man of principle, sacrificing his own life to maintain the veracity of his work. He may have also hoped that people would see the wrongness of his death and value his teaching even more because of the tragedy.

Ironically, while the U.S. government 
does not acknowledge gay marriage 
when it involves money, according to
 Mother Jones magazine, gay marriages
would boost federal taxes by $400 to $700 million. 

But political martyrs are not the only way to inspire change. Instead of acting in violence or dying for a cause, people can come together to support an issue and make change. On Friday (December 7), the Supreme Court of the United States announced it would take on several cases dealing with gay marriage. While gay marriage has been legalized in some states, it is not federally mandated. This means that in many cases gay marriages and traditional marriages are not equal in the eyes of the federal government and in many states. Currently, the law of the land is the Defense of Marriage Act, which does not recognize a same-sex union as a legal marriage. Because of that, gay spouses are not treated equally and do not receive the same spousal benefits from the government, including social security and medical and dental benefits among others. Through creating a national dialogue about the issue, citizens have been able to influence the rule of law in this country. It may not be as emotional as invoking the power of a martyr but, slow as it may be, it represents the path to change. Instead of rallying behind martyrdom or other acts of violence, individuals can make change through their speech and by voting for representatives who will carry out the change. Malcolm X was right about the ballot, just not the bullet.

Clip from an episode of the legal drama, The Good Wife, dealing with gay marriage rights. (Watch the first minute and then skip to minute 3 for DOMA information)