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Malcolm X: The Last Speeches
"Any kind of movement for freedom of Black people based solely within the confines of America is absolutely doomed to fail. "Speeches and interviews from the last two years of his life.
180 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1989
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Malcolm X
123 books3,159 followersMalcolm X (born Malcolm Little), also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, was an American Black Muslim minister and a spokesman for the Nation of Islam.
After leaving the Nation of Islam in 1964, he made the pilgrimage, the Hajj, to Mecca and became a Sunni Muslim. He also founded the Muslim Mosque, Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity. Less than a year later, he was assassinated in Washington Heights on the first day of National Brotherhood Week.
Historian Robin D.G. Kelley wrote, "Malcolm X has been called many things: Pan-Africanist, father of Black Power, religious fanatic, closet conservative, incipient socialist, and a menace to society. The meaning of his public life — his politics and ideology — is contested in part because his entire body of work consists of a few dozen speeches and a collaborative autobiography whose veracity is challenged. Malcolm has become a sort of tabula rasa, or blank slate, on which people of different positions can write their own interpretations of his politics and legacy.
After leaving the Nation of Islam in 1964, he made the pilgrimage, the Hajj, to Mecca and became a Sunni Muslim. He also founded the Muslim Mosque, Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity. Less than a year later, he was assassinated in Washington Heights on the first day of National Brotherhood Week.
Historian Robin D.G. Kelley wrote, "Malcolm X has been called many things: Pan-Africanist, father of Black Power, religious fanatic, closet conservative, incipient socialist, and a menace to society. The meaning of his public life — his politics and ideology — is contested in part because his entire body of work consists of a few dozen speeches and a collaborative autobiography whose veracity is challenged. Malcolm has become a sort of tabula rasa, or blank slate, on which people of different positions can write their own interpretations of his politics and legacy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
February 10, 2017
Malcolm X teaches us there will be an ultimate struggle for human equality in the world but it will be about wealth and poverty, not about the color of the skin.
I had his famous saying on a framed poster with large, pencil drawing of his face hung over my couch for over a decade and when my grandpa visited once said he could hardly sleep knowing who was looking down upon him from the wall.
I had his famous saying on a framed poster with large, pencil drawing of his face hung over my couch for over a decade and when my grandpa visited once said he could hardly sleep knowing who was looking down upon him from the wall.
September 2, 2012
If you read The Autobiography of Malcolm X, the most widely-read of the books about Malcolm, you will get an idea of the general development of his self-education in prison, and of his attraction to, and eventual prominence in, the Nation of Islam. This volume, in contrast, shows the speeches he made when he broke with the Nation of Islam and decided that the struggle for racial equality was tied to class struggles, and that this meant that people who were not Black could still be part of the fight that he believed was necessary. It shows his attraction to socialist ideas, and these are speeches that were not published until recently, when his widow found them buried amongst a lot of other things in storage, and called the publisher she wanted to distribute these ideas. For those who are seeing a big difference between his earlier speeches and the ones published here, it is not hypocrisy, it is development. It takes a lot of integrity for someone who is famous and controversial to admit he has been in error, and explain what his new viewpoint is, and why he has changed his way of thinking. If you don't read this book, you will not know the whole evolution of the ideas and political program embraced by Malcolm X over the span of his life.
December 19, 2014
2004: AMAZING!!! Monumental read. Do yourself a favor and read these speeches.
2014: The last speech in this book was given five days before his death on February 21, 1965, yet it remains so relevant. In 2014 I can read the words in this book and gain a better understanding of what is happening in America because barely anything has changed. This book is a must read for all black people in America and for all white allies. Reading this book fanned the flames of the fire in my belly.
2014: The last speech in this book was given five days before his death on February 21, 1965, yet it remains so relevant. In 2014 I can read the words in this book and gain a better understanding of what is happening in America because barely anything has changed. This book is a must read for all black people in America and for all white allies. Reading this book fanned the flames of the fire in my belly.
August 13, 2018
As someone who is white, if I wonder how I would think about race if the roles were reversed, Malcolm X sounds right.
January 12, 2015
I read this book a long time ago, and I am glad to have taken the time to read it again -- especially since I have gained a better understanding of the wisdom and knowledge in his words. I have so much admiration for Malcolm X as a man and a leader; there are so many who quote his words, but do not even attempt to live up to his character. It is a true travesty that his life was cut short just when he was forming his own organization; I can't help but wonder what that would have led to and the impact it would have had on the black community. It is also interesting to see, through these few speeches and interviews, the shift in his views and beliefs within the last few years of his life. Although he never wavered in his belief that the black community should stand up and fight for respect, rather than turn the other cheek and allow ourselves to be brutalized. I do not know what it is like to have blind faith in something, but I can understand what it must have felt like to be deceived by someone he trusted and admired. Rather than hide behind his pride, he instead chose to speak the truth in spite of the damage to his image or any other consequence -- for that he will always have my utmost respect. I think this book should be required reading. He does not get the credit he deserves for his role in the Civil Rights Movement.
July 26, 2021
Malcolm X was one of the greatest truth-tellers of all time. This book gives you a taste of Malcolm X’s thoughts and a sense of his political development and ideological evolution shortly before his tragic assassination. It contains his speeches during the final two years of his life, which were marked by a breaking away from the NOI and the forging of his own Pan African organization. Malcolm was consumed with the project of international unity in the face of Western imperialism. He wanted to use the OAAU as a vehicle to unite Afro-Americans with other Africans around the world, and he wanted to use Islam to unite people across racial lines, all toward the objective of liberation from Euro-American domination.
Malcolm’s expansive conception of the “Afro-American” identity is fascinating. It didn’t just include Blacks born in the U.S., but the entire Western Hemisphere. This identity allowed Malcolm to forge commonalities between African descended people’s in different parts of the Western Hemisphere, who suffered from a similar colonial history (albeit from different European / Euro-descended colonial powers). Following his extensive tri-continental travels in Africa, Western Asia (i.e. the “Middle East”), and Europe, Malcolm sharpened his analysis of white supremacy and imperialism. He drew commonalities between oppressed people (specifically Africans, but not exclusively) from different places like no other. His overall point in raising these cross-continental commonalities and offering up unity as an overarching solution is rooted in his strongly-held conviction that the Black-White problem was not a local matter. The Black-White problem existed all over the world, and was rooted in the same history. Thus, a local response to white supremacy or anti-Blackness is insufficient. The struggle must be a coordinated, organized, militant, internationalized effort.
My favorite quote from Malcolm in this book is “[A]ny kind of movement for freedom of Black people based solely within the confines of America is absolutely doomed to fail.” This exemplifies Malcolm’s mindset in the last years of his life. This is a must read.
Malcolm’s expansive conception of the “Afro-American” identity is fascinating. It didn’t just include Blacks born in the U.S., but the entire Western Hemisphere. This identity allowed Malcolm to forge commonalities between African descended people’s in different parts of the Western Hemisphere, who suffered from a similar colonial history (albeit from different European / Euro-descended colonial powers). Following his extensive tri-continental travels in Africa, Western Asia (i.e. the “Middle East”), and Europe, Malcolm sharpened his analysis of white supremacy and imperialism. He drew commonalities between oppressed people (specifically Africans, but not exclusively) from different places like no other. His overall point in raising these cross-continental commonalities and offering up unity as an overarching solution is rooted in his strongly-held conviction that the Black-White problem was not a local matter. The Black-White problem existed all over the world, and was rooted in the same history. Thus, a local response to white supremacy or anti-Blackness is insufficient. The struggle must be a coordinated, organized, militant, internationalized effort.
My favorite quote from Malcolm in this book is “[A]ny kind of movement for freedom of Black people based solely within the confines of America is absolutely doomed to fail.” This exemplifies Malcolm’s mindset in the last years of his life. This is a must read.
September 17, 2020
Certain themes repeat: empowerment through segregation, anti-micegenation, black nationalism as a response to white nationalism etc. How can one say Malcolm X was wrong? How can one deny that his anger and reaction to white supremacy was legitimate? And yet, somewhere between X's powerful angry truth and King's naively optimistic 'arc of history,' (destroyed by Coates) lies Baldwin (who embodies Gramsci's 'pessimism of the intelligence, optimism of the will'). It is fascinating how the question of love towards one's oppressor comes up repeatedly between all these African American thinkers. X says he will never love the white man, who cannot love blacks. Baldwin understands this and speaks to it, while also recognising there must be some point after anger. It can become a trap. We do not forgive our oppressors for their sake, because they deserve our love. No, we forgive them for ourselves. To move beyond the lie they have chosen to create that we are opposites at war. Why should they alone get to decide? Because they have the guns? Guns be damned. There is power, also, in choosing how one reacts to oppression. For X, loving whites is submission. For Baldwin, what he calls love can also be a kind of opposition.
December 13, 2018
So glad I found this in the garage. We truly lost a light when we lost Malcolm. I’ll never forgive the textbooks for erasing his legacy but I’m grateful for these speeches so that I may educate myself and allow his truth to live on.
September 20, 2018
If you know Brother Malcolm then this will be no surprise but surely you’ll see the world differently and start to question the things that don’t seem to make a bit of since! It apart of my tops 💚💚💚
April 16, 2016
Dear brother Malcolm,
I'm known for writing to the dead so don't panic, as they say, always trust the dead as they will never change their minds! You see, I've been listening to your speeches before I sleep, and the excitement and thriller from listening to these prevented me from sleeping, thank you O_o, and actually listening to you with this enthusiasm has just brought lots of thoughts and memories to what is happening to the black community yet again in the US.
Lets catch up a little, I went to Harlem last year, had dinner in a fancy Swedish restaurant in central Harlem and listened to a Jazz band all night long. It was really nice, surrounded with people from all colors, enjoying a late night breeze in your neighborhood, it didn't bring back any memories of you! people are not the same anymore and despite that I could see the old poor buildings surrounding the place, yet it just felt that these building are the ones out of place not us!
Years had passed by and I don't think much have changed my brother, in Ferguson Missouri 2014, they - and I mean the police - killed young Michael Brown - yup a teenage black fella - claiming that he resisted his arrest and was shot 12 times! 12 times bro! and boom, riots have erupted all over the place. Later on, Black Lives Matter, a social movement calling for freedom and justice for all black lives has born to fight all kinds of racism and misconduct against black people specially at the police force.
"Hands up, don't shoot" was the motto used, I was blessed to attend a session on this movement last year at Philadelphia university, and to tell you this, same discrimination and false accusation and racism is still performed on us Muslims as well. You see, when the riots in Ferguson erupted and the police fired eye-tearing gas, people of Gaza and Palestine tweeted to the young people how to fight and protect themselves against these tears :) same mentality bro, they kill you first then they question your body!
I used to hang out with some friends at the "Broadway district" after class. It is full of young blacks (I don't like to say black or people of color and so forth, we all are the same but I'm using this just to demonstrate how racism is rooted in the American culture). I guess there were certain neighborhoods that were very poor looking but I was walking with no fear, didn't hear a single word from these guys. However, an old white guy walking in this neighborhood once he saw me, he called me "F**King Muslim"! I laughed! and they wonder why people of different race and color do not feel safe around them, not the other way around actually! even at the airport, I was subjected to extra checking procedures just for wearing a hijab, and my other Arab companions passed smoothly!
Nevertheless bro, your words are still echoing, "I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it's for or against." and "I believe in the brotherhood of man, all men, but I don't believe in brotherhood with anybody who doesn't want brotherhood with me. I believe in treating people right, but I'm not going to waste my time trying to treat somebody right who doesn't know how to return the treatment."! Amen to that my brother, May your soul rest in peace Shaikh Malek, the real Shaikh of Harlem!
January 25, 2021
Beautiful. This man's message of solidarity is timeless. His shift of perspective from the problems of racism towards black people as an American problem (civil rights) to that of a Human problem (human rights) is inspiring and the lessons are more important to learn the more time passes. As a white woman reading in 2021, I can feel the anger and frustration black Americans faced in the 1960s. We are facing them still today. Malcom X clearly describes the actions he sees from well-meaning white people and says it is damaging. He calls upon the hypocrisy of white liberals, we have to do better, we have to really mean what we say with action if we want to help our black brothers and sisters. His assassination is a tremendous loss to humanity. God help us all.
May 23, 2009
It was good read this man's speeches. It gave me more of a picture into his thought process and I was able to research more into what he was referring to. I think that I would suggest this reading though after reading his autobiography.
July 8, 2019
Absolutely fantastic -- but a bit redundant due to the fact that he was such a workhorse in his last few weeks before his assassination.
Worth the read for sure, I would suggest reading this in pieces as you work your way through another book. Too hard to read cover to cover
Worth the read for sure, I would suggest reading this in pieces as you work your way through another book. Too hard to read cover to cover
December 9, 2014
what else do you need, wisdom from the fire of the civil rights movement.
July 31, 2017
Go to the source! Even within these last speeches, he evolves on his view of whites, Africa, and the civil rights movement.
February 23, 2020
These were where Malcolm started to focus less on civil rights and take the fight to the U.N. internationally.
August 29, 2025
"We believe that our fight is just. We believe that our grievances are just. We believe that the evil practices against Black people in this society are criminal and that those who engage in such criminal practices are to be looked upon themselves as nothing but criminals. And we believe that we are within our rights to fight those criminals by any means necessary." (175)
-Malcom X
As a young boy who attended a private Catholic school, I did not learn about the man who was Malcom X. I was unaware of his views, his religion, and his righteousness. As I grew older, wiser, and more critical of the United States and its history, I decided to conduct my own research. However, I waited on a sign, something to pique my interest in the right direction. About a week ago, I was at a poster store that was set up on the university's campus. I found a tall, black-and-white poster with Malcom X holding a rifle in his right hand, and peeking out the blinds with his left. At the top of the poster, these words were printed, bold and black:
"by any means necessary"
I was given a sign. I walked to the university's library, finding this book tucked in a corner. Within less than a week, I had finished it. My mind is in a cold war with itself. What I was taught about civil rights, what little I knew, has been put into question. And now I ask myself, was there truth in his words? I believe there was, and still is.
-Malcom X
As a young boy who attended a private Catholic school, I did not learn about the man who was Malcom X. I was unaware of his views, his religion, and his righteousness. As I grew older, wiser, and more critical of the United States and its history, I decided to conduct my own research. However, I waited on a sign, something to pique my interest in the right direction. About a week ago, I was at a poster store that was set up on the university's campus. I found a tall, black-and-white poster with Malcom X holding a rifle in his right hand, and peeking out the blinds with his left. At the top of the poster, these words were printed, bold and black:
"by any means necessary"
I was given a sign. I walked to the university's library, finding this book tucked in a corner. Within less than a week, I had finished it. My mind is in a cold war with itself. What I was taught about civil rights, what little I knew, has been put into question. And now I ask myself, was there truth in his words? I believe there was, and still is.
October 1, 2023
I went through the world ignorantly omniscient for the first 18 years of my life, however, not aware of global struggle, global hardship or even the extent of civil prosperity for people that looked like me until I went to university. The way X talks about travel resonates with me at exactly this moment in my life where I’m traveling the world, and being confronted with the realizations that oppression is not my people’s own to bear, it’s not just an American problem.
This book did something else important for me. Malcolm has been a topic of controversy in my communities lately because of resurfaced discriminatory comments against Black women. But I think this book nurtured my empathetic ideals that we are people. we are human. and as we navigate this life, if we open our hearts and minds, we will go through experiences that shape and change our values and beliefs - continuously. Because that’s one of two certainties in life - change. Malcolm was intelligent enough to articulate what he observed, and when confronted with new and challenging ideologies, he was courageous enough to change his mind.
Travel broadens the soul. I love books that make me feel less alone. Thank you Malcolm for you sacrifice and dedication. Thank you for paving a way. I know - there’s still so much more work to do, but your plight will be one remembered as we try to tear it all down.
This book did something else important for me. Malcolm has been a topic of controversy in my communities lately because of resurfaced discriminatory comments against Black women. But I think this book nurtured my empathetic ideals that we are people. we are human. and as we navigate this life, if we open our hearts and minds, we will go through experiences that shape and change our values and beliefs - continuously. Because that’s one of two certainties in life - change. Malcolm was intelligent enough to articulate what he observed, and when confronted with new and challenging ideologies, he was courageous enough to change his mind.
Travel broadens the soul. I love books that make me feel less alone. Thank you Malcolm for you sacrifice and dedication. Thank you for paving a way. I know - there’s still so much more work to do, but your plight will be one remembered as we try to tear it all down.
December 15, 2018
Malcom X has been on my list to research, for a long time. I have put it off because I am so strongly opposed to the message of violence to bring change. I have not changed my mind, I believe his message was caustic however I am very glad I finally got around to this and I will continue to learn more about Malcom X. He latched onto some really profound truths about capitalist society and American historical oppression in general, though I believe his conclusions are extremely flawed.
Based on Malcom X’s last speeches, I believe he promoted a message that would bring society to further separation and social poverty.
It is important for me to keep this in the context of the era, and although this is not the message I believe we need today, it was more relevant 50 years ago. Still not the right message for the time but much more relevant.
Based on Malcom X’s last speeches, I believe he promoted a message that would bring society to further separation and social poverty.
It is important for me to keep this in the context of the era, and although this is not the message I believe we need today, it was more relevant 50 years ago. Still not the right message for the time but much more relevant.
February 19, 2025
This is a collection of six speeches with all the drama of a three act play, where all the most explosive events happen off stage.
After the first two speeches, X would break with the nation of Islam and go on Hajj, visiting numerous African countries afterwards.
After the NEXT two speeches, the nation of Islam would bomb his house, attempting to kill him, his wife and three small daughters.
After the last two speeches (literally five days after the last one) he was assassinated.
Reading this collection you can FEEL the off screen shift, the change in Macolm X's rhetoric until we conclude with his final speech where he calls for global solidarity among all the oppressed.
Obviously, the first two speeches have actually bad positions, but X himself literally described himself in that period as 'Elijah Muhammed's parrot'.
After the first two speeches, X would break with the nation of Islam and go on Hajj, visiting numerous African countries afterwards.
After the NEXT two speeches, the nation of Islam would bomb his house, attempting to kill him, his wife and three small daughters.
After the last two speeches (literally five days after the last one) he was assassinated.
Reading this collection you can FEEL the off screen shift, the change in Macolm X's rhetoric until we conclude with his final speech where he calls for global solidarity among all the oppressed.
Obviously, the first two speeches have actually bad positions, but X himself literally described himself in that period as 'Elijah Muhammed's parrot'.
February 4, 2023
Great collection of late speeches by Malcolm. I especially liked the last speech included in the book where he talked in Rochester, his 2nd to last speech ever I believe. It also showcases exactly what ideas he had that differed from his prior thoughts while in the NOI. I was looking for those specifics and they are included in the book. Also his idea of the African American struggle in the international context is eye opening. He was saying similar things before the split, but he really expanded upon the ideas once he formed Muslim Mosque inc and shortly afterward OAAU. Great read
September 7, 2023
Reading this book, which is essentially a transcript of Malcolm’s speeches and interviews (1963-1965), it was deeply interesting to contemplate Malcolm’s words and what they meant at the time. Malcolm X was clearly a highly intellectual person and a talented, powerful orator able to captivate his audiences. It is interesting to see how Malcolm X’s views transformed over time. The way Malcolm constructed his arguments is very compelling and quite fascinating - illustrating his points through stories, supported by facts/history and sprinkled with humour.
July 18, 2023
Anytime I read, watch, or listen to books or speeches by Malcolm I am always filled with the same feeling of awe at Malcolm's intellect and lack of chill when it came to dealing with racists and haters. I loved this collection of his last speeches, especially in the wake of leaving Elijah Muhammad's side and speaking truth against someone he had previously idolized. The inclusion of press asking Malcolm questions and his quick wit in responding was wonderful to read too.
November 20, 2023
I didn't really know much about Malcolm X beyond the vague title of civil rights leader before picking up this book. This collection of speeches and interviews was a great introduction. Ranging from just before his break with the Nation of Islam to the last week of his life, it gives a good demonstration of how his thinking shifted over time from separatist to internationalist.
May 23, 2017
An excellent choice to read this as an audiobook. Malcolm X is a great speaker and his speeches are still relevant today, although I don't agree with everything he says.
August 30, 2021
It was fascinating to hear his speeches (Audiobook)
March 11, 2022
Considering the time period, I am very surprised Mr. X wasn’t killed prior to his actual assassination. His speeches were very inspiring, provocative, and eye opening.
October 20, 2025
I should have borrowed it in english tho...
February 26, 2018
For my thoughts: Bridget Blogs Books
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews