Collection – MALCOLM X

Stan Bernard Interviews Malcolm X (February 18, 1965)

Stan Bernard: And what is the Black Muslim movement? Is it a bona fide religion or just a terror organization? Tonight on “Stan Bernard: Contact” we’re going to have a look at the Muslims and the Black nationalists in general. And my guests tonight: Malcolm X, once the number-two man in the Black Muslims, now […]

Not Just an American Problem, But a World Problem (Feb. 16, 1965)

First, brothers and sisters, I want to start by thanking you for taking the time to come out this evening and especially for the invitation for me to come up to Rochester and participate in this little informal discussion this evening on matters that are of common interest to all elements in the community, in […]

There’s A Worldwide Revolution Going On (Feb. 15, 1965)

As many of you probably know, tonight we were going to unfold a program which we felt would be beneficial to the struggle of our people in this country. But because of events which are beyond our control we feel that it is best to postpone unfolding the program that we had in mind until […]

After the Firebombing – Ford Auditorium, Detroit, Michigan (Feb. 14, 1965)

Distinguished guests, brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, friends and enemies. I want to point out first that I am very happy to be here this evening and I’m thankful for the invitation to come here to Detroit this evening. I was in a house last night that was bombed, my own. It didn’t destroy […]

London School of Economics (February 11, 1965)

[Introduction missing] It is only being a Muslim which keeps me from seeing people by the color of their skin. This religion teaches brotherhood, but I have to be a realist—I live in America, a society which does not believe in brotherhood in any sense of the term. Brute force is used by white racists […]

On Afro-American History (January 24, 1965)

Brothers and Sisters, first I want to, as Brother James has pointed out, thank you, as we do each week, or have been doing each week. It seems that during the month of January it doesn’t snow or rain or hail or get bad in any way weather-wise until Saturday night, and it stays like […]

Pierre Berton interviews Malcolm X (January 19, 1965)

[Pierre Berton begins by asking Malcolm about the rift between him and Elijah Muhammad.] Malcolm X: Well, he represented himself to us as a prophet who had been visited by God, who had been taught by God, who had been given an analysis of the problems concerning black people in America by God, and also […]

Prospects for Freedom in 1965 (January 7, 1965)

Mr. Chairman, who’s one of my brothers, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters: It is an honor to me to come back to the Militant Labor Forum again this evening. It’s my third time here. I was just telling my brother up here that probably tomorrow morning the press will try to make it appear […]

Speech to Civil Rights Workers from Mississippi (Jan. 1, 1965)

I was approached, I think we were at the United Nations, and I met Mrs. Walker, about two or three weeks ago, and she said that a group of students were coming up from McComb, Mississippi, and wanted to know if I would meet with you and speak with you. I told her frankly that […]

Claude Lewis Interviews Malcolm X (December, 1964)

Claude Lewis: I notice you’re growing a beard. What does that mean? Is it a symbol of anything? Malcolm X: It has no particular meaning, other than it probably reflects a change that I’ve undergone and am still undergoing. Lewis: Then will you shave it off one day? Malcolm X: Certainly. I might leave it […]

Bernice Bass Interviews Malcolm X (December 27, 1964)

Bernice Bass: And now dear hearts, I think it important that we turn to our guest of honor at this time, Minister Malcolm X, the son of a Baptist minister. Good morning. Malcolm X: How are you, Miss Bass? Bass: Just fine, thank you. I suppose that’s the question New York could ask you after […]

Malcolm X Introduces Fannie Lou Hamer (December 20, 1964)

Reverend Coles, Mrs. Hamer, honored guests, brothers and sisters, friends and enemies; also ABC and CBS and FBI and CIA. I couldn’t help but be very impressed at the outstart when the Freedom Singers were singing the song “Oginga Odinga” because Oginga Odinga is one of the foremost freedom fighters on the African continent. At […]

The Power of Africa (Audubon Ballroom, December 20, 1964)

Asalaam Alaikum. I suppose I should take time to explain what I mean when I say “Asalaam Alaikum.” Actually, it’s an expression that means “peace,” and it’s one that is always given to one’s brother or to one’s sister. It only means “peace be unto you.” So, when I say “Asalaam Alaikum” or “Salaam Alaikum” […]

Harvard Law School Forum (December 16, 1964)

I first want to thank the Harvard Law School Forum for the invitation to speak here this evening, more especially to speak on a very timely topic—“The African Revolution and Its Impact on the American Negro.” I probably won’t use the word “American Negro,” but substitute “Afro-American.” And when I say Afro-American, I mean it […]

Malcolm X with Dick Gregory At the Audubon Ballroom (Dec. 13, 1964)

Brothers and sisters: We’re very happy to see so many of you out on such a foggy night. We hope that we haven’t kept you too long, but a very good friend of mine, and a very good friend of yours, is on his way here and I didn’t want to have too much to […]

Speech to Peace Corps Workers (December 12, 1964)

First, I want to let you know I am very thankful for the invitation to speak here this afternoon. Number one, before a group such as this, and number two, I always feel more at home in Harlem than anywhere else I’ve ever been. The topic we are going to discuss in a very informal […]

Oxford Union Debate (December 3, 1964)

Mr. Chairman, tonight is the first night that I’ve have ever had opportunity to be as near to conservatives as I am. And the speaker who preceded me, first I want to thank you for the invitation to come here to the Oxford Union, the speaker who preceded me is one of the best excuses […]

Les Crane Interviews Malcolm X (December 2, 1964)

Les Crane: My next guest is Mr. Malcolm X, ladies and gentleman. This interview is going to be a little difficult for me to do, because I know Malcolm. We’ve done shows together before. He’s been a guest of mine on a couple of different occasions. We’ve had telephone conversations of length and interest. And—so […]

OAAU Homecoming Rally (November 29, 1964)

Asalaam Alaikum, all my brothers and sisters. Well, I hardly know how to get started, but I can let you know in advance that we’re not going to keep you here tonight very long. I first have to make a confession—I almost didn’t get here tonight; something came up, a situation developed where we were […]

“Racism: The Cancer That is Destroying America” – Egyptian Gazette, Cairo, Egypt (August 25, 1964)

I am not a racist, and I do not subscribe to any of the tenets of racism. But the seed of racism has been firmly planted in the hearts of most American whites ever since the beginning of that country. This seed of racism has rooted itself so deeply in the subconsciousness of many American […]

Letter to the Egyptian Gazette (August 25, 1964)

Speech to The Second African Summit Conference (August 21, 1964)

Every effort by the American press to play down the importance and the success of the Second African Summit Conference held recently here in the ancient African city of Cairo could well be a drastic mistake for the Western powers, and especially for America The entire continent of Africa and her awakening people is the […]

Speech to The African Summit Conference (August 21, 1964)

The Organization of Afro-American Unity has sent me to attend this historic African Summit Conference as an observer to represent the interests of 22 million African-Americans whose human rights are being violated daily by the racism of American imperialists. The Organization of Afro-American Unity has been formed by a cross section of America’s African- American […]

The Second OAAU Rally (July 5, 1964)

Asalaam Alaikum. Brothers and sisters, I think we have a very nice audience here this evening taking into consideration that this is a holiday weekend when normally you and I would be out on the beach rubbing elbows with those other elbows. So I want to thank those of you who have taken off from […]

OAAU Founding Rally (June 28, 1964)

Asalaam Alaikum, Mr. Moderator, our distinguished guests, brothers and sisters, our friends and our enemies, everybody is here. As many of you know, last March when it was announced that I was no longer in the Black Muslim movement, it was pointed out that it was my intention to work among the 22 million non-Muslim […]

Robert Penn Warren Interviews Malcolm X (June 2, 1964)

Robert Penn Warren: This is the first tape of a conversation with Mr. Malcolm X, June 2nd. From what I have read, which includes books I could find and a good many articles on the Black Muslim position and on yourself, it seems that the identity of the Negro is the key fact that you […]

Malcolm X at University of Ghana (May 13, 1964)

I intend for my talk to be very informal, because our position in America is an informal position, and I find that it is very difficult to use formal terms to describe a very informal position. No condition of any people on earth is more deplorable than the condition, or plight, of the twenty-two million […]

Letter From Mecca (April 20, 1964)

Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and the overwhelming spirit of true brotherhood as practiced by people of all colors and races here in this Ancient Holy Land, the home of Abraham, Muhammad and all other prophets of the Holy Scriptures. For the past week, I have been utterly speechless and spellbound by the […]

Milton Henry interviews Malcolm X (April 12, 1964)

Milton Henry: Once again the GOAL Show microphones have with us our brother, Malcolm X. This time we are on the other side of the world. We’re at Cairo, Egypt, where the independent African states have met in serious confrontation for the last week. One of the significant additions to the confrontation here was the […]

The Ballot or the Bullet (April 12, 1964)

Mr. Moderator, Reverend Cleage, Brother Lomax, brothers and sisters, friends…and I see some enemies. In fact, I think we’d be fooling ourselves if we had an audience this large and didn’t realize that there were some enemies present. This afternoon we want to talk about the ballot or the bullet. The ballot or the bullet […]

The Black Revolution (April 8, 1964)

Mr. Moderator, ladies and gentlemen, friends and enemies. Tonight I hope that we can have a little fireside chat with as few sparks as possible being tossed around. Especially because of the very explosive condition that the world is in today. Sometimes, when a person’s house is on fire and someone comes in yelling fire, […]

The Ballot or the Bullet (April 3, 1964)

Mr. Moderator, Brother Lomax, brothers and sisters, friends…and enemies. I just can’t believe everyone in here is a friend, and I don’t want to leave anybody out. The question tonight, as I understand it, is “The Negro Revolt, and Where Do We Go From Here?” or “What Next?” In my little humble way of understanding […]

A. B. Spellman Interviews Malcolm X (March 19, 1964)

Spellman: Please answer these charges that are often raised against you: That you are as racist as Hitler and the Klan, etc. That you are anti-Semitic. That you advocate mob violence. Malcolm X: No, we’re not racists at all. Our brotherhood is based on the fact that we are all black, brown, red, or yellow. […]

Malcolm X at Harvard University (March 18, 1964)

Nineteen hundred sixty-four will probably be the most explosive year that America has yet witnessed on the racial front; primarily because the black people of this country during 1963 saw nothing but failure behind every effort they made to get what the country was supposedly on record for. Today the black people in this country […]

A Declaration of Independence (March 12, 1964)

Because 1964 threatens to be a very explosive year on the racial front, and because I myself intend to be very active in every phase of the American Negro struggle for human rights, I have called this press conference this morning in order to clarify my own position in the struggle—especially in regard to politics […]

A Visit From the FBI (February 4, 1964)

FBI Agent: Morning, how do you do. We are with the FBI. You have a couple minutes? We’d like to talk to you. Malcolm X: Come on in.  FBI Agent: I am sorry, did we get you up? Malcolm X: I was on the telephone. Your name is? FBI Agent: Beckwith.  Malcolm X: And your […]

God’s Judgement of White America (December 4, 1963)

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches us that as it was the evil sin of slavery that caused the downfall and destruction of ancient Egypt and Babylon, and of ancient Greece, as well as ancient Rome, so it was the evil sin of colonialism (slavery, nineteenth-century European style) that caused the collapse of the white nations […]

Malcolm X at Columbia University (November 20, 1963)

Dr. Mencher and students. First I want to thank Dr. Mencher for the invitation to speak here this afternoon. And I should start out by pointing out that in the Columbia Law Review I think it was, in December of I think last year, there was an extensive article carried in it about the Muslims and pointing […]

A Message to the Grassroots (November 10, 1963)

During the few moments that we have, we want to have just an off-the-cuff chat between you and me—us. We want to talk right down to earth in a language that everybody here can easily understand. We all agree tonight, all of the speakers have agreed, that America has a very serious problem. Not only […]

Malcolm X at UC Berkeley (October 11, 1963)

Mr. Moderator, students and faculty here at the University of California, brothers and sisters, friends and enemies. The bell up there took so long to stop ringing, I began to suspect that it was probably being manipulated by an integrationist! Recently the state of California, the Supreme Court here, denied Negro inmates who had become […]

The Old Negro and the New Negro (September, 1963)

Malcolm X: With regard to The Saturday Evening Post article, it’s just about what you would expect from a nationally circulated magazine that is writing about a group of black people not under the influence or control of the white man. To me the magazine article was, by and large, a great deal of propaganda. The very […]

The Black Revolution (June, 1963)

Dr. Powell, distinguished guests, brothers and sisters, friends, and even our enemies. As a follower and minister of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, who is the Messenger of Allah to the American so-called Negro, I am very happy to accept Dr. Powell’s invitation to be here this evening at the Abyssinian Baptist Church and to express […]

Alex Haley Interviews Malcolm X (May, 1963)

Haley: What is the ambition of the Black Muslims? Malcolm X: Freedom, justice and equality are our principal ambitions. And to faithfully serve and follow the Honorable Elijah Muhammad is the guiding goal of every Muslim. Mr. Muhammad teaches us the knowledge of our own selves, and of our own people. He cleans us up—morally, […]

Twenty Million Black People in a Political, Economic, and Mental Prison (January 23, 1963)

It should be pointed out at the outset that I represent the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, whose followers are known as the Muslims here in America and actually are the fastest growing group—fastest growing religious group—among Black people anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. And it is our intention to try and spell out what the philosophy […]

Malcolm X at Yale Law School (October 20, 1962)

On behalf of my beloved leader and teacher, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and the many young Muslims who follow him, we wish to thank you for this opportunity to explain our position today in what we feel to be the only solution to the serious race problems confronting America and the entire troubled Western World. […]

Bayard Rustin Debate (October 30, 1961)

Malcolm X: In the past two years, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad has become the most talked about black man in America because he is having such miraculous success in getting his program over among the so-called Negro masses. Time magazine last year wrote that he has eliminated from among his followers alcohol, dope addiction, profanity—all of […]

Open Mind Roundtable (October 15, 1961)

Moderator: Eric P. Goldman, Guests: Mr. Monroe Berger, Mr. Kenneth B. Clark, Mr. Richard Haley, Mrs. Constance B. Motley, Mr. Malcolm X Mr. Goldman: In the years since World War II, unquestionably the most dramatic and most important development in internal American affairs has been the upward lunge of the Negro. In no uncertain terms […]

Malcolm X at Harvard Law School Forum (March 24, 1961)

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen. We thank you for inviting us here to the Harvard Law School Forum this evening to present our views on this timely topic: The American Negro, Problems and Solutions. But to understand our views, the views of the Black Muslims, you must first realize that we are a religious group, […]

Eleanor Fischer interviews Malcolm X (1961)

Eleanor Fischer: Malcolm X, the minister of the Black Muslim community in New York City and national representative of Elijah Muhammad, the spiritual leader of the Black Muslim movement. Mr. Malcolm, may I ask you to tell us something about the Black Muslim movement in America? What is it? What does it stand for? Malcolm […]

Harlem Freedom Rally (1960)

As-Salaam-Alaikum beloved brothers and sisters, welcome to our Harlem Freedom Rally. When we say “our” we do not mean Muslim nor Christian, Catholic nor Protestant, Baptist nor Methodist, Democrat nor Republican, Mason nor Elk. By “our” Harlem Freedom, we mean the black people of Harlem, the black people of America, and the black people all […]