The Assassination of The Century: An Examination of Malcolm X's Speech Entitled "The Race Problem in America"

THE ASSASSINATION OF THE CENTURY: AN EXAMINATION OF MALCOLM
XS SPEECH ENTITLED THE RACE PROBLEM IN AMERICA
Michael Banerjee
History 465: The Post World War II Civil Rights Movement
Dr. Sanders
December 16, 2014
1
On Wednesday, January 23, 1963, Malcolm X, the Nation of Islams
redheaded and black-skinned firebrand, delivered a scintillating speech entitled The

Race Problem in America at Michigan State Universitys Erickson Kiva, in Lansing,
Michigan.1 While the speech is known most commonly for its discussion of the House
Negro and Field Negro, it is significant in other ways as well. Not only did the speech
put on display Malcolms virtuosity as a rhetor and orator, it also served as a timely,
sweeping attack on the leaders of the mainstream civil rights organizations, known
collectively as the Big Six.2 The Big Six represented the element of the civil rights
movement that was characterized by an adherence to nonviolence, middle class values,
and the overarching goal of improving the condition of black people in America by way
of integration into mainstream white society. In the speech, Malcolm sought to discredit,
or to rhetorically assassinate, the Big Six as a whole by first discrediting the beliefs to
which they adhered.
To understand the significance of the Michigan State University address, one
must first understand the events that precipitated it. Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little
to Earl Little, Sr. and Louise Little on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska at the
University Hospital.3 Earl Little, Sr. was a preacher and staunch supporter of the father
of Black Nationalism, Marcus Garvey.4 Malcolms birth coincided uncannily well with

1 Red Tape Blog, Michigan State University, last modified June 22, 2014,
http://blogpublic.lib.msu.edu/index.php/june-22-1963-malcolm-x?blog=5.
2
Jermaine Spradley, "The Big Six Organizers of the March on Washington: Where Are
They Now?," last modified August 28, 2013, The Huffington Post,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/28/big-six-march-onwashington_n_3826958.html.
3
Manning Marable, Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention (New York, 2011), 23.
4 Marable, Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, 20.
the apex of [Ku Klux] Klan activity in Nebraska.5 Due to the extensive involvement of
both Earl and Louise in Garveys Universal Negro Improvement Association, the family
faced the constant threat of violence at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan and the Black
Legion (a Ku Klux Klan off-shoot), and relocated several times before eventually settling
down in Lansing, Michigan, when Malcolm was no more than four years old.6 It is
during the twelve years the Little family called Lansing home that Malcolms father
would be murdered, his mother would be committed to the Kalamazoo State Hospital,
and Malcolm himself would become a ward of the state.7
After Malcolms tumultuous time in Lansing, he moved on to Boston to live with
his half-sister, Ella Collins, in 1941.8 The two shared a father but besides that could find
little common ground. Ella would eventually be admitted, much like Malcolms mother,
to a mental hospital.9 It was in Boston that Malcolm learned to negotiate the streets, in
addition to picking up a habit of smoking reefer and running numbers.10 Malcolm
began to straighten his hair by way of conking, a practice he would continue until his
incarceration five years later.11 Malcolm secured a job on a railroad line as a fourthclass cook,12 and by virtue of his employment, Malcolm was able to travel extensively,
selling marijuana and visiting cities such as New York and Washington, D.C.13 Malcolm
eventually fell in love with New York City and decided to migrate to the Big Apple.

5
Marable, Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, 23.
6
Marable, Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, 23-25.
8
9
After a sojourn in Harlem, Malcolm returned to Boston, where he and a group of his
associates would commit, and subsequently be arrested for, an infamous string of
burglaries.14 Malcolm received three concurrent six-to-eight year sentences in Norfolk
County and four concurrent eight-to-ten-year sentences in Middlesex County for his
involvement in the burglariesbecause Malcolm committed crimes in two separate
jurisdictions, there were two separate trials, two separate convictions, and two separate
sentences.15
While in prison, Malcolm met a fellow former burglar named John Elton
Bembry: the man who would change his life.16 Malcolm was impressed by Bembrys
intellect, knowledge, and verbal skills.17 Bembrys tutelage helped Malcolm to
develop his newfound enthusiasm for study and self-improvement.18 Just over a year
after the advent of Malcolms shift in attitude, he received a letter from his brother
Philbert, one that would have enormous consequences.19 In Philberts missive was an
exhortation for Malcolm to pray to Allah for deliverance.20 Philbert and other
members of Malcolms family admonished Malcolm to join the Nation of Islam (NOI),
so after several appeals, Malcolm capitulated and joined.21 Acting in accordance with the
NOIs belief that the last names black people had in America were in actuality their slave
names, given to slave by slave master, Malcolm replaced his last name with an X
following his conversion. The X was intended to represent the unknown because,

according to the NOI, the God-given names of black people in America were just that
unknown.
The NOIs apostate teachings included black separatism, self-reliance, and a
black deity, reminiscent of Earl Littles Garveyite sermon.22 Because his father
followed Garvey, Malcolm was already familiar with ideas such as these. Malcolm
continued his course of study and committed himself to the NOI and the heretical sects
leader, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, before being released from prison on parole on
August 7, 1952, at the age of 27.23 Malcolm would remain under the supervision of the
State until May 4, 1953.24 Meanwhile, Malcolms rise within the NOI was nothing less
than meteoric: from a lowly evangelist working on behalf of the NOIs Detroit Temple
No. 1, to Assistant Minister at Temple No. 1, to Head Minister of several temples, to
national spokesman, all within about a decades time.25 By the early 1960s, as his
popularity grew, Malcolm began receiving more and more invitations to speak and
lecture at colleges and universities across the nation.26 The podium from which he spoke,
in this case, served as the perfect assassins perch.
Malcolm was invited to speak at Michigan State University by the universitys
chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
and the universitys African Students Association.27 Although the NAACPs national
leaders felt the NOI spokesman was too controversial and conservative a figure to be

26
27
Malcolm Describes the Difference Between the House Negro and the Field
Negro. Columbia University, accessed December 13, 2014,
http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/mmt/mxp/speeches/mxa17.html.
associated with, this was not the first time Malcolm received and accepted an invitation
from a college NAACP chapter; for instance, on February 14, 1961, Howard Universitys
NAACP chapter invited Malcolm to speak in Washington, D.C.28 The Michigan State
affair was a homecoming of sorts, seeing as Malcolm had lived in Lansing from 1929
until 1941.29 In fact, for a brief time, the Little family even owned six acres near what
would later become part of the Michigan State University campus.30
Although he had home field advantage, Malcolm still faced a formidable
rhetorical challenge, since he was invited by the universitys NAACP chapter and spoke
in front of what was presumably a well-integrated crowd based on how he addressed the
audience; this means that the crowd was composed of people more likely to fall into the
category of detractor or abjurer, rather than supporter, of Malcolms philosophy. In fact,
the disgruntlement of the crowd can be heard in the recording of the speech on a number
of occasions.
The rhetorical challenge Malcolm faced was compounded by the fact that he
aimed to discredit the leaders of the mainstream civil rights organizations, known as the
Big Six, and by extension, the mainstream civil rights organizations themselves. The
Big Six included Martin Luther King, Jr. of the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference (SCLC), John Lewis of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
(SNCC), Whitney Young of the National Urban League, A. Philip Randolph of the
Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, James Farmer of the Congress of Racial Equality

28
29
Marable, Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, 25-38.
30
(CORE), and Roy Wilkins of the NAACP.31 Because these leaders held mainstream
values and sought integration rather than separation (which, according to Malcolm, can
be distinguished from segregation by its origin: segregation is that which is forced upon
inferior by superior, while separation is the result of a group exercising its right to
choose where to live, work, and spend money), they were more likely to resonate with the
audience Malcolm addressed at Michigan State University than was Malcolm.32 Once
again, Malcolms goal was to discredit the Big Six by discrediting nonviolence,
middle-class values, and integration, mainly through a comparison between the House
Negro and the Big Six leaders.
During the speech, Malcolm described the philosophy of nonviolence that was
being propagated contemporaneously by King and other movement stalwarts as
cowardly.33 Malcolm was an avid proponent of self-defense, a stance that conflicted
directly with Kings philosophy of nonviolence. At Michigan State University, this
contrast was made clear: Malcolm did not believe in any kind of peaceful suffering and
in response to an attack by a white person, believed in retaliating if it cost him his
life.34 His fierce advocacy for self-defense was met with audible disapproval from the
audience but the appeal itself was nevertheless tactful. Framing self-defense as the
opposite of peaceful suffering was adroit in that it recognized nonviolences strongest
appealits peacefulnessbut attempted to use this component of nonviolence against
that to which it belonged. Nonviolence is a tactic that is difficult to attack because it uses

31
Spradley, "The Big Six.
32
Malcolm X, Malcolm X at Michigan State UniversityJanuary 23, 1963, last
modified December 6, 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNZDfyJRdLw.
33
X, Malcolm X at Michigan State University.
34
only the weapon of love in the battle for justice but the route Malcolm took to discredit
nonviolence was as good an approach as any. Attempting to convert what was ostensibly
nonviolences greatest strength into its greatest weakness was a sagacious strategy but
nonetheless was not received well by the Michigan State audience. Although it failed to
resonate with the audience Malcolm spoke to on this particular occasion, it was an attack
on no fewer than three Big Six leaders who subscribed to nonviolence, and by
extension, was also an attack on their respective organizations. Martin King, John Lewis,
and James Farmer had all committed themselves to nonviolence and also required the
same of those who joined their organizations. Kings SCLC, Lewiss SNCC, and
Farmers CORE all had policies of nonviolence, and Malcolm castigated them for it.35
Over the course of his career as a public figure and advocate of the so-called
Negro, a distinct class-consciousness firmly entrenched itself in Malcolms ideology.
This class-consciousness was perhaps the resulting aftertaste of a bitter cocktail
composed of his personal experience, the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad,
and the climate of the civil rights movement era. This class-consciousness was palpably
present in his address at Michigan State University in his reference to the House
Negro-Field Negro dynamic. On the antebellum plantation, the House Negro was
part of the slave minority that was treated relatively well by his slave master and
identified himself in the same sense that his master identified himself;36 conversely, the
Field Negro was in the majority that was treated brutally by his master and despised

35 Charles E. Cobb, Jr., This Nonviolent Stuffll Get You Killed: How Guns Made the
Civil Rights Movement Possible (New York, 2014), 130.
36
Malcolm Describes.
him.37 Malcolm noted that the House Negro, in response to a call for separation,
would refuse, just as the twentieth-century-type of House Negro would.38 According to
Malcolm, the modern House Negro also tried to live close to the white man, via
integration, just as his antebellum counterpart tried to live close to his slave master. By
recognizing this parallel, Malcolm was equating the House Negro, the docile and stupid
slave, with the nonviolent, middle-class-oriented, black integrationist, while at the same
time and in stark contrast, equating the Field Negro with the self-defense-advocating,
lower-class-oriented, black separationist. While they lived during different times, as far
as Malcolm was concerned, the antebellum House Negro and the modern black
integrationist were one and the same: Uncle Toms.39 Uncle Tom was the typical
subservient black man whose only allegiance was to his white oppressor, whether that be
the slave master or the post-World War II segregationist. To Malcolm, every member of
the Big Six was an Uncle Tom.40
According to Malcolm, these Uncle-Tomming Negroes main reason for
seeking integration was to engage in interracial relationships with white women.41 This
was an attack specifically on Farmer and King. Farmer, who had married a white woman
by the name of Lula in 1949, was well aware of Xs disapproval of his marriage. In a
1965 interview with the Harvard Crimson, when asked whether or not any issues had
come about due to his marriage, Farmer responded (understatedly), Malcolm X used to

37
Malcolm Describes.
38
39
Malcolm Describes.
40 X, Malcolm X at Michigan State University.
kid me a little about it.42 This portion of Malcolms speech also targeted King, who was
known to philander frequently with women of a lighter hue.43 According to Malcolm, the
20th-Century Uncle Tom (encapsulated in the likes of Farmer and King) sought
principally to engage in sexual relations with white women, and promoted an
integrationist agenda as a means to reach that end.44 Although the connection between
white women and the Big Six can be directly drawn only to Farmer and King, this part
of Malcolms speech was aimed toward all members of the Big Six, because they were
all integrationists.
Malcolms attack was perspicacious not only in so far as its content is concerned;
it was also perspicacious in so far as its timing is concerned. In the speech, Malcolm
described the invitation to speak at Michigan State University as timely, and hindsight
has revealed that the speech itself can be held in the same regard.45 In 1962, mere
months prior to Malcolms speech, King and the SCLC suffered what was arguably the
most devastating defeat of the civil rights movement in Albany, Georgia. In Albany, the
stratagem that had worked so well in Montgomery and other places in the South was
ineffectual, due largely to the tactical prowess of Albanys Police Chief, Laurie
Pritchett.46 Pritchett had enforced segregation in every phase of Albanys life, and was
on the receiving end of a great deal of media coverage and applause.47 On the other
hand, King, the SCLC, and supporters of the civil rights movement in general were left to

42
Geoffrey L. Thomas, James Farmer: Silhouette, Harvard Crimson, October 6, 1965.
43 David J. Garrow, Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference (New York, 1986), 375.
44 Malcolm Describes.
46 Garrow, Bearing the Cross, 175.
47
Garrow, Bearing the Cross, 217.
10
contemplate the reasons the movement had ended in failure.48 SNCCs Julian Bond
went further: King ha[d] been losing since he left Montgomery [after the Montgomery
Bus Boycott of 1955-1956].49 He lost when he didnt go on the Freedom Ride [of 1961]
when the students begged him to go on the Freedom Ride and he didnt go.50 I think
he[d] been losing for a long time.51 Malcolms address was in fact so timely that the
same day he gave his piercing speech in Lansing, King and the rest of the SCLCs
Executive Board met to discuss ways in which the group may rebound from the losing
streak described by Bond.52
What is more, on January 14, 1963, less than ten days before Malcolm delivered
his speech in Lansing, Governor George Wallace of Alabama issued a brazen peroration
supporting the maintenance of segregation during his inaugural address in Montgomery,
Alabama.53 During the address, Wallace indicated that the separation of the races was
here to stay when he proclaimed famously, segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and
segregation forever.54 This virulent exhortation, given by a powerful governor, dealt a
crushing blow to the mainstream civil rights movement, and joined with the
aforementioned shortcomings, to provide the opening Malcolm needed to deliver the
rhetorical kill shot.

48
Garrow, Bearing the Cross, 216.
53
Samara Freemark and Joe Richman, Segregation Forever: A Fiery Pledge Forgiven,
But Not Forgotten, last modified January 10, 2013, National Public Radio,
http://www.npr.org/2013/01/14/169080969/segregation-forever-a-fiery-pledge-forgivenbut-not-forgotten.
54
Freemark and Richman, Segregation Forever.
11
In short, by the time Malcolm delivered his speech at Michigan State University
in January 1963, the civil rights movement had suffered some significant losses, making
his speech in Lansing one that was cognizant of time.55 Sensing the discouragement and
disenchantment brought about mainly by the loss suffered in Albany and Wallaces
address, Malcolm took full advantage. He attacked the Big Six and their viewpoints at
a time when racial tensions were reaching dangerous heights that often resulted in
violence. In his address, Malcolm argued that the nonviolent, middle-class-oriented,
integrationist approach had not worked and will not work, and it was the most opportune
time for him to make such an argument.
Through the above-mentioned appeals, Malcolm was able to elicit roaring
applause, and (so it follows) roaring approval, from the crowd before which he spoke at
Michigan State University on January 23, 1963. Winning this crowd over was no easy
task. Rhetorically, it was far from an ideal situation: Michigan State University was (and
still is) a predominantly white institution by an overwhelming margin; he was in Lansing
under the auspices of the universitys chapter of the NAACPan organization that
disagreed with Malcolm on myriad levelsmaking it likely that many of the members of
the Michigan State University NAACP chapter, and the audience he spoke before as a
whole, held similar viewpoints; furthermore, he aimed to discredit mainstream civil rights
leaders and their respective organizations. In spite of this rhetorical dilemma, Malcolms
arguments resonated surprisingly well with the crowd. This speech represented more
than a rhetorical masterclassit was a rhetorical assassination of the Big Six. In
summation, Malcolms address at Michigan State University proffers more to the

55
12
collection plate of history than the humble tithing of the House NegroField Negro
dynamic. It was, in fact, a calculated, effective, and well-timed attack on the mainstream
civil rights movement and the agenda thereof.

The Assassination of The Century: An Examination of Malcolm X's Speech Entitled "The Race Problem in America"

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THE ASSASSINATION OF THE CENTURY: AN EXAMINATION OF MALCOLM

XS SPEECH ENTITLED THE RACE PROBLEM IN AMERICA

redheaded and black-skinned firebrand, delivered a scintillating speech entitled The

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