Malcom X, the African American leader in the civil rights movement, minister, and supporter of black nationalism, urged his fellow black Americans to protect themselves against white agression “by any means necessary”. While this stance was controversial for some, his quote rings true for many, including those in the spa and wellness industry today.
Education is not just about going to school to learn your ABCs. Education is the passport to the future, a lifelong opportunity to understand more and respect culture and traditions. While using high-tech to learn a high-touch skill may seem counterintuitive at first, technology plays an essential educational role and without it luddites will get left behind.
The full quote is “Education is an important element in the struggle for human rights. It hs the means to help our children and our people rediscover their identity and thereby increase their sel-respect. Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs only to the people who prepare for it today. The education quote is from a speech Malcolm X gave on June 28, 1964.
Despite the age of the statement, the words remain exactingly correct today. Fourty-seven years later, education continues to be the critical aspect for any person to enjoy their human rights, to embrace our individual and collective identities, to learn to fully respect ourselves so that we might have complete respect for humanity, and to develop a fierce urgency to prepare today for our role of conquering an uncertain tomorrow.