The speeches of Malcolm X at Harvard

W. Morrow, 1968. Trade paperback. Good. No dust jacket. The speeches of Malcolm X at Harvard. by X, Malcolm, and Epps, Archie C. Trade paperback. W. Morrow, New York (1968) Good. No dust jacket. Highlighting/underlining. front cover has small crease mark and book has yellow highlights... The speeches of Malcolm X at Harvard. by X, Malcolm, and Epps, Archie C. Trade paperback. W. Morrow, New York (1968) Good. No dust jacket. Highlighting/underlining. front cover has small crease mark and book has yellow highlights 191 p. 22 cm. Editor The speeches of Malcolm X at Harvard. by X, Malcolm, and Epps, Archie C. Trade paperback. W. Morrow, New York (1968) Good. No dust jacket. Highlighting/underlining. front cover has small crease mark and book has yellow highlights 191 p. 22 cm. Editor Archie Epps wrote in the Preface to this 1991 collection, Malcolm X was encouraged by the combative nature of the Birmingham marchers, whose presence had signaled the entrance of a new breed of fearless blacks into the civil rights movement, a phenomenon that he hoped would turn the movement into an all-black revolution. He was referring to some of King s rearguard demonstrators and black spectators along the route of the march who had taunted the police and threatened violence. Malcolm X spoke their language and exemplified their political taste and style. Unfortunately, Malcolm X was less than generous to his colleague in the struggle for black freedom. When asked what he thought of the dramatic events in Birmingham and King s leadership role in those events, he retorted, Martin Luther King is a chump, not a champ. (Pg. 9) He explains, Malcolm X s Harvard Speeches were given at the University on three separate occasions, one in 1961 and two in 1964. The Harvard Law School Forum invited Malcolm X here in March 1961, and in December 1964. Leverett House at Harvard College invited him to address their Forum in March, 1964. The Harvard Speeches represent three distinct phases of Malcolm X s life Malcolm X s first Harvard speech was largely devoted to explaining the religious doctrines of the Movement and the Black Muslim policy of racial separation [In] His second Harvard speech [he] had just resigned from the Black Muslim movement and he was asked whether he would continue to work in civil rights and, if so, what strategy he would use. The final Harvard speech was given after [he] had returned from an extensive trip to Africa, where he interviewed African leaders. (Pg. 13) In the 1961 speech, he said, your actions have proved that the Caucasian race will not receive [blacks] as complete equals. Since we cannot live among the Causasians in peace, and since there is not enough time for us new Negroes to wait for the Caucasian race to be reeducated and freed of their racial prejudice, their inbred beliefs and practices of white supremacy, I repeat, Let our people be separated from you, and give us some territory that we can call our own and where we can live in peace among ourselves. (Pg. 123) He continues, we will agree to stay only if you let us separate ourselves from you right here. Just give us a portion of this country that we can call our own. Put us in it. Then give us everything we need to start our own civilization---that is, support us for twenty to twenty-five years, until we are able to go for ourselves This is God s solution. This is justice, and compensation for our three hundred ten years of slave labor. Otherwise America will reap the full fury of God s wrath for her crimes against our people. (Pg. 126) In the March 1964 speech, he argues, Marcus Garvey failed only because his movement was infiltrated by Uncle Toms, sent in by the government as well as other bodies to maneuver him into a position wherein the government might have him put in a penitentiary, then deported, and his movement destroyed. But Marcus Garvey never failed. Marcus Garvey was the one who gave a sense of dignity to the black people in this country. He organized one of the largest mass movements that ever existed in this country More of [blacks] preferred to go back home than to stay here in this country and continue to beg the power structure for something they knew they would never get. (Pg. 157) He asserts, I can t abide anyone referring to Black Nationalism as any kind of racism. Whenever white people get together they don t call it racism. The European Common Market is for Europeans; it excludes everyone else. In that case you don t call it racism. all the numerous blocks and groups and...