Quick Thought: Meeting Malcolm’s Daughter

I was on the radio today with Malcolm X’s daughter, Qubilah Shabazz. It was ironic that we were on the radio together, since I’d just been reading about her father’s life two days earlier. I read about the lives of Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali a great deal, and I learn many lessons from them. I learn that the struggle toward progress for Black men has never been easy. I also remind myself that you can’t ever give up. Courage is more important than intellect, and we must have passion and purpose to merge with opportunity. Any hurdles we encounter are our chances to make a difference in the world. It all depends on whether you choose to engage your destiny or run away from it.

I am saddened by the way Muhammad Ali abandoned Malcolm when he left the Nation of Islam. The truth is that Malcolm was a highly educated man who served to inspire Ali, while Ali was still learning his way through the world. But regardless of their parting of ways, they are both my heroes.