African
Revolutionary Writers, Part 2b
Malcolm X
In this speech (“By Any Means Necessary”, attached), Malcolm
X recalls 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.
- The above serves
to introduce the original reading-text: Excerpts from the Speech
Founding the OAAU, Malcolm X, 28 June 1964.
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