Message to the Grassroots by Malcolm X (Full Transcript)
Here we have the full transcript of one of Malcolm X's most important speeches of his lifetime “Message to the Grassroots”. In this speech that was given during Malcolm’s time during his tenure with the Nation of Islam. Our Brother talks about the mentality between the “house negro and the field negro” and how it was relevant to the modern struggle.
November 10, 1963.
We want to have just an off-the-cuff chat between you and me — us. We want to talk right down to earth in a language that everybody here can easily understand. We all agree tonight, all of the speakers have agreed, that America has a very serious problem. Not only does America have a very serious problem, but our people have a very serious problem. America’s problem is us. We’re her problem. The only reason she has a problem is she doesn’t want us here. And every time you look at yourself, be you black, brown, red, or yellow — a so-called Negro — you represent a person who poses such a serious problem for America because you’re not wanted. Once you face this as a fact, then you can start plotting a course that will make you appear intelligent, instead of unintelligent.
The Real Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
On this day that America loves to memorialize the great leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we at The Melanin Project would like to highlight the Man in his wholeness. From his philosophy of non-violent protest that America loves so much, to his self-revelation of leading us into “a burning house”. (United States of America) It is well documented that those around Dr. Martin Luther King were armed to the teeth and were more than prepared to protect the civil rights leader. Most known for his Dream Speech at the Capitol, there are many other speeches that detail the thought and radical approach to Dr. King’s aspirations for this country as well as his people. Most notable of those speeches was his talk of “The Other America”. The Capitol Riots in comparison to the Black Lives Matter riots just months earlier show case and point that there is very little difference from the 60’s to nearly 70 years later how America as a whole doesn’t see African Diaspora as equal culturally, monetarily, or legally.