Integration

In theory and in the books, integration is a beneficial thing for everyone. People get to interact with people who are different than them, get to see different walks of life, how others live, and can potentially eliminate prejudice. In theory, communism also looks pretty nice. Soviet Russia has proved that to be very, very wrong. I dont want you to get an impression that I am very anti-integration, I am not. I just think that something people should consider is whether the recipients of integration, two races, ethnicities, religions, etc really want it, and does it actually make people better? Now, I am 100% for integration in the sense of civil and equal rights; everyone, man, woman, black, white, orange, purple, should get equal pay and opportunity if they are doing the same work etc. But in the case of Brother Rice high school, and their decision to segregate their prom, I have no problems with that. These are students who have all learned, interacted, and known each other for 4 years, and decided they wanted separate proms, which the school allowed. It is an equal decision for each party, and isn't doing anything really wrong, it's just some people feel comfortable with certain people, and wanted to have their last senior fling with those certain people. As long as people are equal and have the same rights, can we really force people to do something they really don't want to? Only time can tell

My Thoughts on the first 12 Chapters

I am a big fan of the Malcolm X autobiography. He was never really a civil rights activist that was touched upon in history books or in history class. It was always just Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks who were focused on as the big civil rights leaders. Malcolm X was always given a little snippet, but always portrayed in a negative light, and as violent. It was nice for once to read about a different civil rights leader, and also a leader and figure who didn't always propose peaceful protesting. When learning about civil rights, I never really understood how so many people could just peacefully protest, as it was such a volatile time, and at least someone must have been extremely angry. Also, MLK and Rosa Parks were always seen in a positive kind of goody two shoes light, whereas Malcolm X had a violent and criminal background, and for him wanting some type of equal rights is kind of a redemption for him, as he completely changed his lifestyle to become an activist for equality. The most interesting parts of the book was learning about his upcoming, and when he was the same age as me, he was hustling the streets with drugs, and engaged in criminal activities that could have led to his death. His transformation in prison also shows a very different type of prison as it is portrayed as now. For Malcolm X, prison actually reformed him, and put out a better man than who came in. Nowadays, some people like being in prison because they know how to work the ropes, and it doesn't really reform people. In all, this was a great book, and it was a shame Malcolm X was assassinated.