Negro Digest - Freedom Archives
Negro Digest - Freedom Archives
Negro Digest - Freedom Archives
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amount of emphasis-both in Bro . Moore's verbal explanation of the<br />
proposed college and in the literature written for its promotion-on the<br />
conclusions reached by Bro . Malcolm after his trip to Mecca . While<br />
we did not wish, in any way, to challenge those conclusions, we still<br />
found the amount of attention given them disconcerting . It was as if the<br />
entire bitter experience of Malcolm's life had been subordinated in importance<br />
to the assertion that "no one who knew him before and after<br />
his trip to Mecca could doubt that he had completely abandoned racism,<br />
separatism, and hatred ." (Such as this never fails to strike me as being<br />
weird and specious . I mean, it is as if the problem of racism and hatred<br />
in America is primarily one of black racism and hatred and we therefore<br />
ought to rejoice when a black man abandons racism and hatred.<br />
Kind of reminds you of the common fallacy regarding violence in this<br />
country . "If we black folks weren't violent everything would be O.K .")<br />
It also occurred to us that any institutionalizing of Malcolm's name,<br />
based on such a premise, could only serve to reduce the impact of the<br />
revolutionary meaning and significance of his life . Further still, our<br />
reservations were enhanced by the subtle but unmistakable connection<br />
which was being drawn between this proposed undertaking and the<br />
philosophy of non-violence . Would-be patrons were being asked to sign<br />
a statement of support which began : "I wish to show proof, in the form<br />
of positive action, that I support non-violent projects that will give evidence<br />
to the black community that we are interested in them and are<br />
willing to accept their ideas on what is best for them-." It is possible<br />
that our comprehension of this statement was awry, but it appeared to<br />
us to clearly imply that the proposed college was expected-either<br />
through its realization or its function-to contribute to the perpetuation<br />
of non-violence . Our suspicion of this was greatly increased by Bro.<br />
Moore's verbal assertion that he believed the college would show "goodwill"<br />
on the part of whites . "That's fine," we thought, "if others wished<br />
to believe this," but we remained convinced that any effort to further<br />
non-violence or to show "goodwill" by exploiting the name of Malcolm<br />
X, who again and again cautioned us against trickery and taught that<br />
non-violence was suicidal, was both insulting and misleading . (I should<br />
like to make it clear that I am not attempting to take on the philosophy<br />
of non-violence here . That, indeed, is the subject of another argument . )<br />
As I stated, we had other reservations of a more primary nature . To<br />
understand these it is necessary not to forget our stated commitment to<br />
the creation of a Black University . In our opinion, this was a commitment<br />
before which all other considerations having to do with the higher<br />
education of blacks should yield . In light of this, the proposed "College<br />
of Malcolm X", it was thought, would affect pre-maturely the develop-<br />
(Continued on page 59)<br />
18 March 1970 NEGRO DIGEST