Malcolm X Talks to Young People is one of Pathfinder’s Books of the Month for November. It includes four talks given to audiences of young people in Ghana, Britain and the U.S. over the last nine months of his life, as well as an interview for the Young Socialist magazine conducted by Jack Barnes, then national chairman of the Young Socialist Alliance. The interview took place Jan. 18, 1965, at the Hotel Theresa in Harlem. Over the last year of his life, Malcolm spoke more directly about the capitalist roots of racism, exploitation and imperialist war. The book concludes with a memorial speech by Barnes about Malcolm, a fellow revolutionary whose words and example continue to speak to youth and working people everywhere. Copyright © 2002 by Betty Shabazz and Pathfinder Press. Reprinted by permission of Pathfinder Press.
Malcolm X: I don’t favor violence. If we could bring about recognition and respect of our people by peaceful means, well and good. Everybody would like to reach his objectives peacefully. But I’m also a realist. The only people in this country who are asked to be nonviolent are Black people. I’ve never heard anybody go to the Ku Klux Klan and teach them nonviolence, or to the [John] Birch Society and other right-wing elements. Nonviolence is only preached to Black Americans, and I don’t go along with anyone who wants to teach our people nonviolence until someone at the same time is teaching our enemy to be nonviolent. I believe we should protect ourselves by any means necessary when we are attacked by racists.
Young Socialist: What do you think is responsible for race prejudice in the U.S.?
Malcolm X: Ignorance and greed. And a skillfully designed program of miseducation that goes right along with the American system of exploitation and oppression. …
So it takes education to eliminate it. And just because you have colleges and universities doesn’t mean you have education. The colleges and universities in the American educational system are skillfully used to miseducate. …
Young Socialist: How much influence does revolutionary Africa have on the thinking of Black people in this country?
Malcolm X: All the influence in the world. You can’t separate the militancy that’s displayed on the African continent from the militancy that’s displayed right here among American Blacks. The positive image that is developing of Africans is also developing in the minds of Black Americans, and consequently they develop a more positive image of themselves. Then they take more positive steps — actions.
So you can’t separate the African revolution from the mood of the Black man in America. Neither could the colonization of Africa be separated from the menial position that the Black man in this country was satisfied to stay in for so long. Since Africa has gotten its independence through revolution, you’ll notice the stepped-up cry against discrimination that has appeared in the Black community. …
Young Socialist: In a recent speech you mentioned that you met John Lewis of SNCC in Africa. Do you feel that the younger and more militant leaders in the South are broadening their views on the whole general struggle?
Malcolm X: Sure. When I was in the Black Muslim movement I spoke on many white campuses and Black campuses. I knew back in 1961 and ’62 that the younger generation was much different from the older, and that many students were more sincere in their analysis of the problem and their desire to see the problem solved. In foreign countries the students have helped bring about revolution — it was the students who brought about the revolution in the Sudan, who swept Syngman Rhee out of office in Korea, swept Menderes out in Turkey. The students didn’t think in terms of the odds against them, and they couldn’t be bought out. …
In my thinking, if the students in this country forgot the analysis that has been presented to them, and they went into a huddle and began to research this problem of racism for themselves, independent of politicians and independent of all the foundations (which are a part of the power structure), and did it themselves, then some of their findings would be shocking, but they would see that they would never be able to bring about a solution to racism in their country as long as they’re relying on the government to do it.
The federal government itself is just as racist as the government in Mississippi, and is more guilty of perpetuating the racist system. At the federal level they are more shrewd, more skillful at doing it, just like the FBI is more skillful than the state police and the state police are more skillful than the local police.
The same with politicians. The politician at the federal level is usually more skilled than the politician at the local level, and when he wants to practice racism, he’s more skilled in the practice of it than those who practice it at the local level. …
Young Socialist: What is your opinion of the worldwide struggle now going on between capitalism and socialism?
Malcolm X: It is impossible for capitalism to survive, primarily because the system of capitalism needs some blood to suck. Capitalism used to be like an eagle, but now it’s more like a vulture. It used to be strong enough to go and suck anybody’s blood whether they were strong or not. But now it has become more cowardly, like the vulture, and it can only suck the blood of the helpless. As the nations of the world free themselves, then capitalism has less victims, less to suck, and it becomes weaker and weaker. It’s only a matter of time in my opinion before it will collapse completely.