Malcolm X

African Revolutionary Writers, Part 2b

Malcolm X, 1925-1965

Malcolm X

In this speech (“By Any Means Necessary”), linked below for download, Malcolm X relates the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and how inspiring it was to him. The speech goes on:

“So we have formed an organization known as the Organization of Afro-American Unity which has the same aim and objective-to fight whoever gets in our way, to bring about the complete independence of people of African descent here in the Western Hemisphere, and first here in the United States, and bring about the freedom of these people by any means necessary.

“That's our motto. We want freedom by any means necessary. We want justice by any means necessary. We want equality by any means necessary.”

The phrase “by any means necessary” is repeated throughout the speech, and it ends:

“We declare our right on this earth to be a man, to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary.”

Other speeches of Malcolm X include (these are links to PDF downloads): “The Ballot or the Bullet”; “Message to the Grassroots”; and “Confronting White Oppression”. You can also find videos of Malcolm X on YouTube, and MP3 files of his speeches.

Malcolm X, a great revolutionary leader of his people, and an inspiring orator, (Barack Obama tries to fake Malcolm X’s style) was gunned down in 1965.

Reading these speeches confirms the close and active relationship that remained between the struggling masses in Africa and in America.

Please download and read this text:

Malcolm X, Speech Founding OAAU, 28 June 1964 (7929 words)

Further reading:

W. E. B. Du Bois, Two Pieces of His Writing, 1946 and 1956 (2173 words)

Excerpts from “Paul Robeson Speaks”, 1953 (2472 words)

Martin Luther King, Beyond Vietnam, Time to Break Silence, 1967 (6687 words)