The Ballot or the Bullet?
Speaker: Malcolm X, May 19, 1925-February 21, 1965, human rights activist, one of the greatest and most influential African Americans in history
Date & Place: April 3, 1964, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
小老鼠吃奶酪 Background: 1964 was an election year. In the speech, Malcolm advid African-Americans to judiciously exerci their right to vote, but he cautioned that if the government continued to prevent African-Americans from attaining full equality, it might be necessary for them to take up arms. The speech is 7050 words and took 53 minutes to deliver, won 116 ovations, ranked 7th in the top 100 American speeches of the 20th century. Mr. Moderator, Reverend Cleage, Brother Lomax, brothers and sisters, and friends and I e some enemie
s. (Applau)
克里空梦璟saya In fact, I think we'd be fooling ourlves if we had an audience this large and didn't realize that there were some enemies prent.
This afternoon we want to talk about the ballot or the bullet. The ballot or the bullet explains itlf. But before we get into it, since this is the year of the ballot or the bullet, I would like to clarify some things that refer to me personally -- concerning my own personal position.
I'm still a Muslim. That is, my religion is still Islam. (Applau) My religion is still Islam. I still credit Mr. Mohammed for what I know and what I am. He's the one who opened my eyes. (Applau) At prent, I'm the Minister of the newly founded Muslim Mosque, Incorporated which has its offices in the Teresa Hotel, right in the heart of Harlem -- that's the black belt in New York city. And when we realize that Adam Clayton Powell is a Christian minister, he’s the -- he heads Abyssinian Baptist Church, but at the same time, he's more famous for his political struggling. And Dr. King is a Christian Minister, in Atlant
a -- or from Atlanta Georgia -- or in Atlanta, Georgia, but he's become more famous for being involved in the civil rights struggle. There's another in New York, Reverend Galamison -- I don't know if you've heard of him out here -- he's a Christian Minister from Brooklyn, but has become famous for his fight against a gregated school system in Brooklyn. Reverend Clee, right here, is a Christian Minister, here in Detroit. He's the head of the "Freedom Now Party." All of the are Christian Ministers -- (applau) -- All of the are Christian Ministers, but they don't come to us as Christian Ministers. They come to us as fighters in some other category.
I'm a Muslim minister -- the same as they are Christian Ministers -- I'm a Muslim minister. And I don't believe in fighting today in any one front, but on all fronts. (Applau) In fact, I'm a Black Nationalist Freedom Fighter. (Applau)
学习计划表>金银花茶的功效 Islam is my religion, but I believe my religion is my personal business. (Applau) It governs my personal life, my personal morals. And my religious philosophy is personal between me and the God in whom I believe; just as the religious philosophy of the othe
rs is between them and the God in whom they believe. And this is best this way. Were we to come out here discussing religion, we’d have too many differences from the outstart and we could never get together.
座右铭大全 So today, though Islam is my religious philosophy, my political, economic, and social philosophy is Black Nationalism. (Applau.) You and I-- As I say, if we bring up religion we 11 have differences; we’ll have arguments; and we'll never be able to get together. But if we keep our religion at home, keep our religion in the clot, keep our religion between ourlves and our God, but when we come out here, we have a fight that's common to all of us against an enemy who is common to all of us. (Applau)
The political philosophy of Black Nationalism only means that the black man should control the politics and the politicians in his own community. (Applau) The -- The time -- The time when white people can come in our community and get us to vote for them so that they can be our political leaders and tell us what to do and what not to do is long gone. (Applau.) By the same token, the time when that same white man, knowing that
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your eyes are too far open, can nd another Negro into the community and get you and me to support him so he can u him to lead us astray -- tho days are long gone too. (Applau)
域名后缀 The political philosophy of Black Nationalism only means that if you and I are going to live in a Black community -- and that's where we're going to live, cau as soon as you move into one of their -- soon as you move out of the Black community into their community, it's mixed for a period of time, but they're gone and you're right there all by yourlf again. (Applau) We must -- We must understand the politics of our community and we must know what politics is suppod to produce. We must know what part politics play in our lives. And until we become politically mature we will always be mislead, lead astray, or deceived or maneuvered into supporting someone politically who doesn't have the good of our community at heart. So the political philosophy of Black Nationalism only means that we will have to carry on a program, a political program, of reeducation to open our peoples eyes, make us become more politically conscious, politically mature, and then we will --whenever we get ready to cast our ballot that ballot, will be cast for a m
an of the community who has the good of the community of heart. (Applau)
The economic philosophy of Black Nationalism only means that we should own and operate and control the economy of our community. You would never found -- you can't open up a black store in a white community. White men won't even patronize you. And he's not wrong. He's got n enough to look out for himlf. You the one who don't have n enough to look out for yourlf. (Applau) The white man -- The white man is too intelligent to let someone el come and gain control of the economy of his community. But you will let anyone come in and take control of the economy of your community, control the housing, control the education, control the jobs, control the business, under the pretext that you want to integrate. No, you outta your mind. (Applau) The political, the economic philosophy of Black Nationalism only means that we have to become involved in a program of reeducation to educate our people into the importance of knowing that when you spend your dollar out of the community in which you live, the community in which you spend your money becomes richer and richer; the community out which you take your money becomes poorer and poorer.
