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Douglass Frederick and Malcolm X

Fredric Douglass is a leader remembered for his courage to pursue justice for humanity through fighting socio-political oppression. He was born in 1818, in Maryland, and later died in the United States in February 1895. "Learning to Read and Write" is his best-known work, and it had retaliatory connotations against imperialistic suppression towards the black community. Malcolm X was born in 1925 and died in 1965. He was a vigilant human right activist and a dedicated Muslim minister. Both of these men were consumed with the desire to learn to read and write well.

Douglass' derived the desire to improve his literacy skills from the then political and social prejudice against the blacks, forcing him to learn and equip himself with the ability to formulate opposing ideologies. On the same note, Malcolm X idea towards learning how to read and write was motivated by the desires to participate in religious ministerial work and human right forums. For Fredric and Malcolm to learn to read and write, both faced severe obstacles that they had to overcome. Because of strategies they used, their intelligence and character, ultimately, they were successful and became leaders in the civil right movements of their time.

His slave background triggered Douglass challenge; at the time, whites were not willing to educate any black man, leading to his confession "I consoled myself with the hope that I should one day find a good chance [to escape]; meanwhile, I would learn to write" (147). Douglass acknowledged that his color was a limitation by itself. Racial segregation and lack of qualified black mentors denied him a chance to learn with other children.

Douglass strategy towards solving this challenge was rather creative; he befriended white kids who would teach him a few things about reading and writing. He concedes that "….the plan which I adopted and the one by which I was most successful, was that of making friends of all the little white boys whom I met in the street" (144). Though he did not have many white friends, he converted the few to mentor him in his pursuit of knowledge.

On the other hand, racism was a predominant obstacle that prevented Malcolm X from learning how to read and write since it created poverty-related factors such as inaccessibility to material resources necessary for schooling. Malcolm concluded that economic challenges forced his family to depend on public welfare, limiting his access to high-quality education. For that reason, when he got to prison, it enforced "a hunger for learning" (156). The experience of socio-economic instability led to increased material hardship, inhibiting his education.

While incarcerated, Malcolm X discovered a...