Inspiration transforms a nation |
| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Feb 25 2009 at 4:05 PM |
Malcom X
Courtesy Photo
By Leah Petersen
Antelope Staff
The memory of a transformational American civil rights leader is brought to life in a class at UNK.
Nancy Peek, lecturer in English, teaches her American Literature students about epic American characters who she believes to have transformed the country. Among the Americans Peek considers to have impacted America significantly is Malcolm X.
Although today she is excited to share Malcolm X's life with her students, years ago this was not the case.
"When students and young people were involved in the demonstrations, it was scary to me. So this whole idea of Black Power, I just didn't know about it," Peek said, speaking of X's proposed
resistance to the existing racist America.
After ignoring this autobiography when it was first published in 1965, Peek finally read the book in 1989.
"I was just fascinated. It was like a whole other part of America that I had been ignorant of. I thought I knew about my country," Peek said.
Seventeen years later, in 2006, Peek reread "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" in preparation for teaching it in her American Literature classes.
Malcolm X was a civil rights activist and a leader who encouraged a more equal America. At a young age in X's life, he became violent and was involved in crimes. He was imprisoned for years, but during that time he became very involved in the Muslim religion. Peek attributes his new religion to the change that he inspired with his life.
"He never became docile. He was always fighting that system that he thought was so wrong. But instead of making him violent, the religion opened his eyes to the brotherhood of man. To the call to being colorblind," Peek said. "To me that is very encouraging."
Peek considers the path that America has been on, considering the relations with other countries, to be the wrong path. She spoke about the way that America relates to the Middle East post 9/11, knowing that something has to change in order for the two areas to cope. She finds this encouragement through the historic acts of Malcolm X.
"Malcolm gives me hope. I think that sometimes our fears lead us in the wrong direction," Peek said. "He showed us that we're going to have to work with the Middle East on a different basis than we are today. Just to be afraid isn't very productive, but to be open to all of that is going to be helpful to us as a country. I'm glad that the current administration is trying to open doors there."
Peek's main goal in teaching American Literature is to get her students to actually read. She thought that her students would be fascinated by the life of Malcolm X, which was her main reason for choosing to teach the book.
"I think that it's such an amazing book because the connections are everywhere. Malcolm's own life, just by accident, has an unending influence."
