Violence in the act of non-violence

Many movements around the globe produce leaders with distinct ideologies and methods that define their stance. America in the late 20th century was home to such leaders who worked unwearyingly for the Afro-American community and stood as an undying symbol of resistance and peace. The broad horizon stretches from Malcom’s insistence on self-defense by any means necessary to Martin Luther King’s call for strategic nonviolence campaign against the perpetrator. In contemporary times, the struggle to achieve the true essence of freedom still persists; torn between one’s ability to showcase resentment through acts of picking up arms or the patience to simply stand against the infliction of violence. These interchangeable dynamics call into question the vision of the two great leaders. And just like their one and only meetup; smiling and standing side by side, it draws our attention to how their vision becomes a collective symbol to bring about change in the lives of black individuals. It becomes interesting to observe how non-violence and the urge to fight back against oppression complement each other in this journey of self-emancipation.  

At the core of this struggle is the understanding of individual psyche, and the socio-economic status of the black community living in America. Looking at the struggle for emancipation is to look at it from the vantage point of the weak. There is no other way to look at this struggle. For only then one can make sense of the methodology of resistance and analyze what the call for non-violence meant for the black people. Moreover, it also showcases how Malcolm's proposition of self-defense is encapsulated in this act of ‘creative non-violent campaigns. 

  

Drawing from Fanon’s definition of violence; an individual needs to fight back the perpetrator as an active struggle for freedom. ‘Reaching out for his knife at the slightest hostile or aggressive glance or treatment’ lies at the heart of this struggle. In the grand scheme of things, the revolutionary act is not merely limited to the attempt of striking back the oppressor with force but the crucial realization that it is time to take matters into one’s own hands. This is the primary step that sets in motion the freeing of a man from the imprisonment of his own mind and enables him to identify who the real culprit is. This is the same imprisonment Malcolm repeatedly addresses to educate the black masses about their status in White America. Similarly, by looking at the implications of this self-imprisonment that the black man was reduced to, Malcolm advocated the idea of self-defense. Statements like “if somebody hits you, you send him to the cemetery’ were spoken out loud at public addresses. With violence and self-defense there is also an accompanying realization that you are actively breaking down the shackles of oppression and responding with a courageous act.  

On the other hand, if we stick to the play of realizations, we are also to examine the act of non-violence in this light. According to Martin Luther, it is not merely a showcase of being defenseless but the best weapon at the disposal of the black community. This act of picking up weapons is camouflaged in the act of resisting violence peacefully. At the heart of non-violence is the underlying assumption that the individual is on the path to visualize his existence as the oppressed; to set himself free of the constrains that keep him caged in his own world; to promise himself his own freedom.  

To reinstate the entirety of the argument; there are different approaches to resist injustice and violation of self at the hands of the oppressor. To indulge in non-violence is therefore violent in its very nature given its ideological implications. It is the first, if not all, of many hurdles that an individual overcomes in the journey of self-emancipation.