3. Strain, Christopher Barry. “Civil Rights and ... - Freedom Archives

times he spoke, for the variety of different audiences both at home and abroad, his rhetoric
was remarkably consistent . This consistency stemmed from his conviction in a number of
core ideas that he preached again and again .~ s
First, he maintained that white people were the enemy . It is difi"icult to ignore this
theme in his speeches and writings .~ 6 Saond, he demonstrated that black people living in
America faced systemic racism, built into the nation's institutions and political framework .
Because the dominant culture had failed them, black people should withdraw from that
culture and tend to their own needs. Third, he preached that Afro-Americans were beautiful,
creative, and strong during a time when black people were just beginning to rediscover these
~SMany of Malcolm X's speeches were collected and published posthumously . See
Malcolm X, Malcolm X SQeaks : Selected S~seches and Statements (New York : Merit
Publishers, 1965) ; Malcolm X, Two Speeches by Malcolm X (New York : Pioneer Publishers,
1965 ; reprint, New York: Pathfinder Press, 1970) ; Malcolm X, The Speeches of Malcolm X
at Harvard (New York : William Morrow, 1968 ; reprint, New York : Paragon House, 1991) ;
Malcolm X, BA_ny Means Necessary Speeches :
. Interviews . and a Letter by Malcolm X
(New York : Pathfinder Press, 1970); Malcolm X, Malcolm X and the Negi+o Revolution
(London : Owen, 1969) ; Malcolm X, Malcolm X on Afro-American History (New York:
Merit Book, 1970); and Malcolm X, The End of White World Supremacy: FourS~hes
ed . Benjamin Goodman (New York : Merlin House, 1971).
~6According to Malcolm, Elijah Muhammad was the first black leader with the courage to
identify the enemy of black people. "Our enemy;' Malcolm reiterated, "is the white man!"
Malcolm X, Autobioaraphv, 251 . Some scholars have noted that Malcolm's racial
preconceptions changed during his pilgrimage to Mecca; however, this realignment can be
overemphasized . As one historian has noted,
his racial philosophy had changed in Mecca, but only to the extent that his brother
Muslims of every color had treated him like a human being; he saw little possibility of
anything like that happening in America, short of a mass conversion to Islam, and in the
meantime the chance that there might be a few "good" whites wasn't going to alter his
judgment that, collectively, the lot of them was bad.
See Goodman, beach and Life of Malcolm X, 183 .