King, Malcolm X, and the Unfinished Struggle for Economic Justice
The people who were celebrating the success and the development of the American nation from a tainted past to the glorified present; at the same time, a few people like Reverend Al Sharpton and Reverend Jesse Jackson were struggling for the rights of black people, whose rights had not yet been fulfilled. The American history of immigration is not like a traditional tale filled with immaculate pleasure and glorified events. Rather, it has a series of oppressive inequities and struggles that supported the American dream to turn into a reality. The foundations of the progressive United States were standing upon millions of deaths and tears of the African Americans who were struggling to live their life independently.
At that time, and even in certain cases now too, blacks were considered inferior to whites, and no matter how capable they were, they were not given accommodative appointments and designations in society. Then the civil rights movement began and worked for black citizens to be given equal rights as any other human being. Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King were two main pillars of the civil rights movement, who struggled to instill the spirit of pride, religion, and superiority within the black community (Cushman-Wood, 1993).
It was through the efforts of these two people that the rights promised in the 14th and 15th Amendments were granted to them. Also, Malcolm X worked specifically on urging the government to take action on the appropriate demands, and this was the reason that the Civil Rights Bill and the Civil Rights legislation were correctly pronounced in the form of bills passed by the government. Due to these efforts, it has been observed that the conditions of African Americans have improved since then, but still, the number of blacks in the jails shows that African Americans are considered third-world citizens. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King supported the substantial role of education and developed nationalism among black people, which raised the genuine spirit to take back their lost home.
Nonviolence, Religion, and Martin Luther King’s Moral Vision
The best-known slogan raised by Martin Luther King was “permeated by love and spirituality of nonviolence as it grows from the Judeo-Christian religion.” He was a supporter of peace and believed that even the boycotts should be peaceful and the protests should be harmonized in a way that they influence American society to change their ideological differences and avoid discriminatory behavior towards the black community.
Thus, due to continuous efforts, the segregation of the two races was avoided, and the most remarkable incident was the affirmation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Moreover, when Malcolm X had to spend ten years of his life in jail, he realized the discriminatory behavior of the whites towards the black community, and he became a follower of Islam and how this religion proposes equality for every individual. The vitality and the spirit induced by Malcolm X in the black nation became the reason behind the assassination. However, both leaders were able to play a significant role in generating the civil rights movement on the right track.
Pope Francis, Environmental Ethics, and the Common Good
Pope Francis’ Encyclical presents a strong view on the environment on Earth, which is far from religion but still connects people because the earth is the common ground for everyone. The field seems to be the masterpiece in the eyes of Pope Francis, who has commented that God has been able to create a perfect balance on earth and a subtle and favorable environment in which every human being can live (Tierce, King, & Washington, 1986).
However, the people who are spoiling the essence of this beauty or cannot see how the earth has comforted them in several ways are poor people. Thus, God has made the planet and has handed it over to humanity to explore it and make it a better living place, but humans have not been able to handle the sanctity and have been destroying Mother Nature by implementing new human-made tools and projects. Thus, this is the reason that the earth is experiencing global warming, which is not due to nature but due to the unfaithful behavior of humanity towards the living conditions on the ground.
Humans may have different religions, but Pope Francis insisted that the earth is the common factor among every human, and whether they are Christians or belong to another faith, an individual could be productive only if he has been persistent in dealing with worldly matters carefully. Thus, the Pope has given this message openly to every recipient who, with an open heart, embraces the teaching of the Encyclical, which is designed in the light of the church’s doctrine.
Poverty, Ecological Harm, and the Social Meaning of Injustice
The Pope in the Encyclical has clearly indicated the differences present in society in the name of injustice, for example, the poor are not treated equally because of environmental injustice being carried in the community #61. Thus, the human interventions and the increasing interest in business incentives and changing the demographics of the world, the earth has become less attractive and beautiful and has lost its natural beauty.
It is the environmental injustice that leads to social injustice. When humans have become insensitive towards the everyday needs that are prevailing in front of their eyes, then how can they be sensitive towards the social needs that are not their responsibility but are considered as a moral obligation? It is becoming nature and the strong belief of men that they can create something that is not in nature, but their minds can transform that well into reality through human efforts (Ittekkot & Milne, 2016).
The biblical texts support the argument that the Earth was present before human inception; it has been gifted to the people as it is, and it is mentioned in the Bible that the ‘till and keep’ refers to the garden of the world. Here, the ’till’ refers to continuing to cultivate and keeping it to make it stay as it is.
References
Ittekkot, V., & Milne, E. (2016). Encyclical Letter “Laudato Si”: A gentle but firm nudge from Pope Francis. Environmental Development, 17, 1-3. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2015.09.011
Tierce, M., King, M., & Washington, J. (1986). A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings of Martin Luther King, Jr. South Atlantic Review, 51(4), 167. https://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3199780
Academic Master Education Team is a group of academic editors and subject specialists responsible for producing structured, research-backed essays across multiple disciplines. Each article is developed following Academic Master’s Editorial Policy and supported by credible academic references. The team ensures clarity, citation accuracy, and adherence to ethical academic writing standards
Content reviewed under Academic Master Editorial Policy.
