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

While his views on integration, whites, and other issues evolved and changed over
time, his opinions regarding self-defense remained static : they were a mainstay of his
political theory and rhetoric . So intractable was his commitment to self-defense that he
embossed it on the membership card of the Organization of Afro-American Unity. The
single declaration of purpose on the card did not mention justice or Pan-African solidarity . It
simply read, "We assert and affirm the right of self-defense, which is one of the most basic
human rights known to mankind." s4
At no time after his conversion to Islam, until the days immediately before his death,
did Malcolm carry a weapon of any sort ; even then, he canied a non-lethal teargas pen.
While he did possess a rifle and pistol for home defense,ss the famous photograph of
Malcolm peering out from behind a drawn curtain with a rifle in his hand is somewhat
misleading. Different sources have heralded the photo, taken by Don Charles, as an example
of the man's hatred and connivance to bring war to society . More accurately, it was a staged
demonstration of his commitment to self-defense .
On December 16, 1964, Alan Dershowitz introduced the featured guest speaker at the
Harvard Law School Forum. The speaker, who had recently become the second most popular
lecturer on college campuses (behind Presidential hopeful, Bany Goldwater), strode to the
~Goldman, The Death and Life of Malcolm X, 187 .
ss Clarke, ed., Malcolm X: The Man and His Times, 90.
Peter Goldman has surmised that Malcolm posed for this photo "precisely for
melodramatic effort, as a deterrent to his enemies:' Goldman, The Death and Life of
~J,pl ~, 155 .
107