Black Revolution and Contemporary Racial Issues
The speech I have chosen for this assignment is Malcolm X’s The Black Revolution, which was orated on April 8, 1964 at a meeting sponsored by the Militant Labor Forum at Palm Gardens in New York. While a video could not be found of this speech, an audio of the speech, however, was found. In the audio, he utilized oratorical skills that he has utilized often times with his other speeches. One can notice that he is a very aggressive and assertive speaker and he appeals to both pathos and ethos in his speech to convey his message and in order to appeal to the audience. Malcolm utilizes pathos and ethos when he brings up the many situations in which the white man has dehumanized and ruined the black man historically and currently. He is instilling an agitation in his listeners by reaching them by means of their emotions and morals. His overall oratorical and rhetorical skills help to convey the message of his speech, which is that a revolution within the black community is rising and that the black community is growing tired of the wrong inflicted upon them; they are beginning to awaken and see racial injustices perpetrated against them for what they are. On top of this his speech also focuses on how important it is for one to strive for not only a civil rights movement, but to expand the borders and strive for a human rights movement as a whole. Not only has the black community been oppressed by the western white man, but non-white people as a whole have been oppressed. We must look past our differences and rise together against the white man in order to realize that this is not only the black man’s struggle, but everyman’s struggle.
This speech can be applied to many contemporary issues regarding race. In the speech, Malcolm states “I think that nobody would disagree that the dark masses of Africa and Asia and Latin America are already seething with bitterness, animosity, hostility, unrest, and impatience with the racial intolerance that they themselves have experienced at the hands of the white West.” The oppressed masses can see the blood that was shed and the harm inflicted upon them by the white man, and are growing weary of the many years in which countless injustices were inflicted upon them. People began to see the history and the reality of their situation and realized how many of their issues were caused by racial injustices and, as Malcolm has also said, are beginning to tire of it and will not stand for it much longer. One can relate this to today’s situation and can see the correlations to what Malcolm has stated in his speeches. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
One current example that reflects the theme of Malcolm X’s speech is the issue of police brutality inflicted on black individuals and the reaction of the community; this has been an ongoing issue for many years now. Black men have been the victims of racial profiling and this has caused the incarceration and racial violence inflicted upon the black population in America. As a people, they have been incarcerated and have been victims of police brutality consistently higher than the white man, regardless if statistically there is not a notable difference in their crime rates. This racial profiling is a major cause of the police brutality inflicted towards the black community. Police have been misjudging the black man as a criminal based on racist beliefs and have not only hurt the black man, but murdered many in the process of achieving “safety and justice” with the racist notion that it is the black man that is a criminal and that one should be cautious of. Many times the black man has been accused and shot for a crime by the police they did not even commit; and many a times has a white man been convicted for a crime in a less violent manner and has lived to hear their convictions. An example of this can be seen with the perpetrators of the Aurora Theatre shooting and the Chapel Hill shooting , these were white men who killed innocent people and where brought in alive and well by the police. In contrast, cases with individuals such as such Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, and Michael Brown, all were unarmed black men who were murdered by police for petty crimes they were not even sure they committed. Their deaths were caused by racial profiling and the demonizing of a community. There are many more stories like this in which the black individual has been treated unfairly and policemen have abused their power and caused bloodshed, much like with Malcolm’s time. But also similar to what Malcolm expressed in his speech is the reaction of the community; more and more people began to become aware of the injustices. We can see this in the Black Lives Matter movement currently happening in which there has been much outrage, rioting, and protesting throughout the nation. People are noticing the injustice done to these people, are growing tired of it, and are beginning to take action. With each new incident, the more enraged people become, and like Malcolm had also stated, will not tolerate it.
Another example that one can see the application of Malcolm’s speech to today is in the unity of minorities. The issues regarding police brutality with the black community is an issue that not only concerns the black communities. There is also a growing awareness of Islamaphobia, the violence happening in the Middle East, and issues regarding immigration law. Many are seeing the common cause of all of these issues and the white man’s role in this historically and systemically and are beginning to see their issues as not just an issue within their respective cultural community, but as a world issue. One can especially see the realization of this in the community with the youth and the internet. From what I have observed on social media, much of the youth are seeing these issues and making the connections to the common cause of the issues, which is the systematic oppression of non-white communities at a worldwide level and the white man’s hand in it. Individuals are beginning to see this as a human rights issue and look past their differences and work towards a common goal. This can allude back to when Malcolm stated in his speech “Now the black revolution has been taking place in Africa and Asia and Latin America; when I say black, I mean non-white – black, brown, red, or yellow… Our brothers and sisters who were colonized by the Europeans.” One can see the unity of today’s non-white communities and the support they give for each other’s causes because they have realized that racial issues are everyman’s issue. The have realized the cause of their problems and are concerned with not just civil rights but human rights.
Malcolm X has had a great impact on the civil rights movement, whether one agrees with his ideas or not, one cannot deny the impact he has had and the influence he has on future generations and future movements. The themes of Malcolm’s speeches reflect this and many of these themes can be applied to the contemporary racial issues of the world today.
Example #2
In his speech ‘The ballot or the bullet’ Malcolm X calls attention to the growing political turmoil surrounding race relations in the United States. This speech was made before Malcolm’s sojourn to Mecca, about a year before his assassination. During this speech Malcolm uses a mixture of oratory styles that showcase his book intelligence as well as his street smarts. Through this subtle code switching he is able to communicate understanding to his audience using rhetorical patterns from ‘proper’ English and street slang. Using his oratory style, which is a very confident dominating one, and different types of rhetoric, Malcolm is able to tell stories and tie life experiences to parables that struck a profound cord in his listeners. The overall message of this particular speech was one of warning to the political powers that held sway at the time.
This particular speech of Malcolm’s is very charged due the times in which it was made. The Civil Rights Movement was going strong and many black people in America were becoming empowered to stand up for their rights. Through different methods people were actively resisting the white status quo and many were publically crying out for a change. ‘The ballot or the bullet’ outlines issues that are still prevalent today in this country. In this speech Malcolm describes the unfair treatment experienced by blacks in this country and he also calls attention to the growing political power of African Americans in the U.S. Although the playing field has levelled out a bit many of the problems and concerns addressed in this speech are still having a negative impact. Malcolm speaks on white capital and how its enterprises control communities of color, which is still happening. He speaks about how laws have been put in place to allow for equal rights but that are often manipulated by local authorities involved. This action can still be seen in many cases, Trayvon Martin and stand your ground law comes to mind. Truthfully most if not all of the major concerns relayed by Malcolm in his speech have contemporary counterparts in our current national/international, political, and cultural situation. It seems to be very much a case of ‘Same shit different day’.
‘No, I’m not an American. I’m one of the 22 million black people who are victims of Americanism. One of 22 million black people who are victims of democracy, nothing but disguised hypocrisy. So, I’m not standing here speaking to you as an American, or a patriot, or a flag-saluter, or a flag waver- no, not I. I’m speaking as a victim of this American system. And I see America through the eyes of the victim. I don’t see any American dream; I see an American nightmare.’[1]This excerpt is powerful and speaks to the essence of the speech itself. There is still a nightmare happening for many communities of color in this country. For black people the victimization continues to take the form of a hypocritical, supposedly democratic system. It is this system of democracy that perpetually excels at finding ways to exploit and capitalize on blacks through a careful manipulation of race relations. In the last year this country has seen a rash of race related deaths that speak very loudly to a huge problem the police forces of many states in America. Young black males being shot or choked until lifeless by people that have taken an oath to protect life sure sounds like the stuff of nightmares to me.
The ‘The Ballot or the Bullet’ speech is over fifty minutes long and it would be impossible to touch upon all of the important points Malcolm made. One topic that he spoke on that still rings true today is the idea of governmental bias towards white people. An easier way to this would be a ‘conspiracy’ against black and brown folks. ‘You don’t need to go to the employer alone, it is the government itself, the government of America, that is responsible for the oppression and exploitation and degradation of black people in this country.’[2] While it may not be as overt now, this statement closely describes the current relationship between people of color and this country’s government. While there are many people of color now in high ranking positions of the government they still represent a minority and certainly don’t wield as much power as their white counterparts. They certainly don’t hold enough power to reverse the racial bias that is rampant in our nation’s highest offices.
Although Malcolm X made this speech over fifty years most of it still has relevance in the discussion of race in our country. As I listened to portions of this speech I was amazed at just how forward thinking this man really was. I also found myself saddened by the fact that many of the issues that he was speaking out against still persist in today’s America. I can only guess at what Malcolm would think of black culture in 2015. It could be argued that we are still enduring a system of mental oppression that has in many ways made us complacent about, or ignorant of how we are being controlled. Would Minister X be proud of the strides we’ve made as a people or would he be disappointed?
[1] X,M., & Breitman, G. (1990). Malcolm X speaks: Selected speeches and statements. New York: Grove Wiedenfeld.
[2] X,M., & Breitman, G. (1990). Malcolm X speaks: Selected speeches and statements. New York: Grove Wiedenfeld.
Example #3
One short speech particularly stood out to me was Who Brings Drugs to Harlem?. It is apparent that Malcolm is in Harlem, as he speaks with a banner behind him that reads “Subscribe to Speakers Newspaper”. Malcolm’s tone is in its normal, militant and direct pitch as he blames the white man for making profit on drugs and gambling. He goes on to talk about having respect for authority, being wise with money, being active, getting a job to better one’s self, which all subtly plays into the avocation of getting people to stop using drugs. He claims that if one does these things that the Honorable Elijah Mohammad has suggested, then there will be a new cultivation of people who will have control of their own being.
This speech, I felt was one for generations to come, and not so much for who Malcolm was speaking to before him. As a visionary, I felt that he understood that there needed to be a change in the frequency and amount of drug use so there would be a generation of productivity and advancement amongst Black people. However, I do not believe that Malcolm truly felt that religion is the way to get them to stop using. In the autobiography, Malcolm returns to Boston to touch base with his old crowd of drug dealers, hustlers, and pimps and realizes that the fast life has caught up to them. They were all once successful in their prime, but Malcolm realizes that this fate has literally caught up to his entire community, and he doesn’t bother to fish there for new followers.
Malcolm has the chance to convert some of his old friends, but chooses not to. In particular, West Indian Archie is on his death bed when Malcolm visits him. Instead of trying to convert West Indian Archie, they chat about other things. Instead of giving him a Quran or Bible, it is noted that Malcolm leaves him with money. This is symbolic for Malcolm, as he admits that after converting, he stopped thinking about money which indicates that it wasn’t important to him anymore. It seems that West Indian Archie would have been a simple target to convert if Malcolm would have left him with some spiritual material versus something that might feed into the white capitalistic expenditures that both Malcolm and Elijah Mohammad spoke against.
In conversation with an aunt who resides in Leimert Park in Los Angeles, famous for its rich African American history of art, music, and culture. She explained to me, while parked at a Seven Eleven, that there are two kinds of people who come every morning: the people who come for coffee before work, and the people who come to buy just enough blunt wraps to get them through the day. The ladder people do not work, and have little ambition or drive to obtain more substance than what they can smoke at that time. After continuing the conversation with her, we realized that the days of Money, Weed, Hoes and hustling have become a fantasy. The very idea of being a hustler seems far-fetched and unattainable to the people whose rolled blunts are the climax of their day; this is the very unproductiveness that Malcolm X and Elijah Mohamad feared, yet was not so evident in their era. In its 1.19 square mile radius, there are seven medicinal marijuana shops, collectives, or wellness centers in Leimert Park that are all run by the state. Malcolm preached that the only way to combat such an addiction was with religion; in comparison, there are fifteen churches with considerable membership, and at least thirty smaller churches in that same radius.
It is evident that Black people in Leimert Park have access to religion, and it is discernible that some of those same people are present at both the medical shops and the pews. In Malcolm’s case the crowds that he preached to were converts who carried a strong enough drive to quit their substance cold turkey. Although the Nation of Islam may have aided with members cleaning themselves up, their will-power was what brought them there in the first place. In fact, Malcolm’s getting clean was not due to the Nation of Islam; rather, the fact that the prisons he was in forced him to at first, reduce his intake, then later his will-power to better himself took over. Although the fears of the speech have come to pass, there is little that religion can do about it.
Works Cited
X, M., & Haley, A. (1965). The autobiography of Malcolm X. New York: Grove Press.
Malcolm, X. (1964). Who Brings Drugs Into Harlem? [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM2_zeMkc-Y Top of Form