On King Day, students remember Malcolm, too

While some students debate the validity of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, other students say that recognizing one black leader is not enough. "There are so many other [black] leaders besides Martin Luther King," College junior Nicole Brittingham said last week. "[Malcolm X Day] is just as valid a holiday." Brittingham, who is the editor of The Vision, said that the sometimes distorted perception of leaders such as Malcolm X -- by both the media and white community -- makes accepting them as national figures difficult. "[King] was stomached more than other black leaders," she said. "He wanted to make changes within the system. He wanted to include everybody. [King] was less offensive to the majority population than Malcolm X, who was of the mind that black people needed to come together before accepting outside help." Brittingham added that King was also a Christian, while Malcolm X practiced an Islamic religion, which is "foreign" to mainstream America. "If people had rallied for X Day instead of King Day, I don't think we would have it today," she said. Wharton sophomore Mitchell Lucas, a black student who lives in Dubois House, said he thinks that there should be days set aside for black leaders other than King. "You have President's Day and other holidays, but they don't represent us," he said. "We need to recognize more people like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X -- people who put their lives on the line for our freedom." Wharton junior Robert Smith said last night he did think it is important for blacks to have many "traditional holidays," but that national recognition of these holidays is not the most important issue. "It is important for African-Americans to create days of memorial for [themselves]," Smith said. "Whether the rest of the world recognizes [the holidays] or not, well, it is not as important as having internal pride [and] rituals that remind us of who we are." Smith, who helped found the University chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, added that he warns others not to take holidays like Martin Luther King Day on a "superficial level." "[Black history] is as complex as the day is long," he said. "And everyone has a different story." Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, associate professor of history, said yesterday that while holidays like Martin Luther King Day and Black History Month are beneficial, they should not become an excuse to ignore racial issues during the other 11 months of the year. "I'm happy that we recognize Martin Luther King's birthday," she said. "What I don't like is separating [racial] issues for discussion during certain times of the year." "We don't reserve our patriotism just for July 4, but we do commemorate patriotism on that particular day," she added. "We should not lose our patriotism outside of July 4. In the same way, we should not limit ourselves to reforming our society only on Martin Luther King Day or [during] Black History Month." Tricia Bent, a graduate student in the School of Social Work, said last night that she, too, thinks that black issues should extend beyond one day or one month a year. "Every day should be a celebration of African-American people," she said.

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