Crucial Comparison Of Leaders In The Film Glory Road

A Crucial Comparison of Leaders The Civil Rights Era brought about a lot of positive change, but in doing so also gave way for violence, discrimination, and hatred. In the movie, Glory Road, directed by James Gartner, characters such as Coach Haskins, Willie Worsley, and David Lattin directly resemble the influential author of the speech, “On African Self-Hatred,” Malcolm X. Through the comparison between the beliefs, actions, and words of these leaders in the Civil Rights Era, the intense opposition and agonizing discrimination they faced becomes unambiguous. Don Haskins, a determined father, husband, and coach from El Paso, Texas undoubtedly shares the beliefs of Civil Rights leader Malcolm X. Malcolm’s participation in nonviolent acts

He says, “But I think the black man in this country… will be more justified when he stands up and starts to protect himself, no matter how many necks he has to break and heads he has to crack,” (X 344). Though Malcolm takes part in nonviolent protest, he clearly believes in never backing down, no matter the cost. A similar, yet small, confliction also presents itself in Coach Haskins as he struggles to disprove stereotypes peacefully, without associating in danger. He demonstrates this belief through his most unmistakable decision in the movie- putting a stop to all false assumptions by only playing his African American athletes in the most crucial game of the season. This act of defiance not only reflects the beliefs of Coach Haskins, but also directly imitates those of Malcolm’s. However, Malcolm’s belief in never giving up and doing whatever it takes to achieve

The actions and corresponding thoughts of player number 24 in Glory Road, Willie Worsley, closely resemble those of Malcolm’s. An excellent example of the correlation appears in Willie’s dialogue. “They’re using us, so i’m going to use them right back,” states Worsley (Glory Road). Willie’s words and coinciding actions reflect those of Malcolm’s, as the Civil Rights leader used the general public to his own advantage rather than allow them to continuously use him and his people. Another clear action shared by Malcolm X and Willie Worsley is the tendency to revert to violence after encountering dangerous experiences. Willie confirms his impulse when he says, “I could kill . . . tonight,” following a horrific threatening (Glory Road). In accordance with Malcolm’s belief of never standing down as well as the actions he takes to prove this, Willie only agrees to surrender due to the positive peer pressure of his teammates. His teammates also encourage him to choose his words carefully, an action both he and Malcolm X share. In Malcolm’s speech, “On African Self-Hatred,” he says, “With skillful manipulating of the press they’re able to make the victim look like the criminal and the criminal look like the victim…” (345 X). This simple yet crucial statement proves that Malcolm knows the importance of his words, and thus chooses them with precision and caution, as