Malcolm X: The Last Speeches

In 1991 I met Malikah Shabazz (one of M/X's daughters) and she autographed my copy of this, telling me that this was her favorite of the varying complations that filled bookstores at the time. I agreed then and now. This presents a more complex look at the varying stages of Malcolm's evolving philosophy while other such compliations are more selective to represent such phases in Malcolm X's evolution Elijah Muhammad's teachings (which I personally have no use for), socialism, black nationalism, etc. to promote the point of view of the compliers. Here, we see that M/X, while consistant in his search for something better for Black people. So it can rightly be called "A Malcolm X Reader" or "The Evolution of Malcolm X Thought." He also mentions Nelson Mandela in passing in this collection, and what he has to say about his days in the Nation of Islam near the end of this book will give fans of the pre-1964 thought of M/X much pause. After this, check out "Malcolm X Talks to Young People." While that is a representation of his later thought, it's also quite good. But read this after the "Autobiography" and M/X Speaks" to get the full enchilada of Malcolm X Thought.

Dr. Bruce Perry, former collaborator, more recently biographer of Malcolm X, searched for decades after Malcolm X died for more speeches and interviews by Malcolm X. He spent years tracking down the man who had the tapes that led to this book, finding him in the rain forest jungles of Guyana, and being able to interview him while the revolutionary government of Marice Bishop still ruled Grenada. He knew Pathfinder would publish them, because Pathfinder was the publisher Malcolm X chose while he was alive to publish his work, because they believe in Malcolm X's words because they are Malcolm's. There are three sections, two speeches given before Malcolm split from the Nation of Islam from January and February 1963, two interviews from december 1964, and the last two speeches we have in full, one he gave February 15, 1965 and another he gave the next day. Malcolm X was murdered on February 21, 1965. You can judge for yourself how Malcolm X grew and changed.l One thing, it wasn't to become someone just into peace and love and non-violence and all sorts of silly things that people say, but that Malcolm X never was into. I just leave you with the contrast in titles. The titles of the 1963 speeches are "Twenty million Black people in a political, economic, and mental prison" anmd "America's gravest crisis since the civil war," rooted in the problems of Black people in America. The speeches given in the last week of his life speak of the world: :There's a world wide revolution going on" and L:Not just an American problem, but a world problem."

This book has all of the themes that Malcolm spoke about during the last year of his life. He patiently explains over and over that the U.S. government is not and can't be "ours", not without a revolution : it is theirs, it belongs to the superrich ( mostly -white ) man. He calls this system " the power structure" or, most scientifically of all, then and now, "Western, or American, imperialism". He speaks of the need for Blacks in "America" to be proud of their African roots; the need to become and to stay politically independent of the twin parties of capitalist racism; of women's equality and dignity - that's right ; it's one of the main reasons he broke from the Nation of Islam - and he speaks of the Chinese, Vietnamese, and Cuban revolutions as examples to emulate HERE. Above all he teaches you , of whatever color , creed ,or sex , to start with the standpoint that most of the people in the world are your potential allies and what is called " America" - the U.S. government and the Yanqui Empire - is your and my deadly enemy. Anti-capitalist and pro-socialist, this is not the Malcolm of biographers, or movie directors, or other "interpreters" - it is Malcolm X speaking for himself, putting forward a line of march relevant to every fighter for meaningful social change today, tomorrow, and beyond.