马尔科姆·艾克斯于1925年出生在美国内布拉斯加州东部的奥马哈市，少年时期是个不学无术的街头混混，贩毒、吸毒、滥交、抢劫、杀人几乎无恶不作。终于自食恶果，被抓入监狱。入狱后，他居然从看字典开始，学习了世界历史，哲学，政治，自然科学等方面的知识，并参加了黑色穆斯林组织。出狱后，他投身黑人运动，成为声望仅次于马丁·路德·金的黑人运动领袖。
马尔科姆原是穆斯林组织“伊斯兰民族”的头领，他到处发表演讲，强调族裔对立，把什么事都往种族冲突上拉，煽动黑人对白人的仇恨。到后来他醒悟、放弃暴力、并和腐败的教主进行抗衡，不再强调仇恨；而是追求黑人和白人之间的沟通、理解、博爱，但却遭到自己原先效忠的组织的暗杀。宗教带给他强大的力量，他所表现出的永远是那么坚强、自信；他的言行举止永远显示出他的火一般的激情和永不言败的信念。他的生命充满了斗争与愤怒，但同时又涌动着热情与博爱。马尔科姆总能够用犀利的语言，针针见血地击中问题的要害。
此篇演讲发表于1964年4月3日，此前的1964年3月，马尔科姆与极端派的黑色穆斯林组织“伊斯兰民族”决裂。此演讲发表后短短10个月的1965年2月21日，在曼哈顿奥特朋舞厅的一个报告会上，“伊斯兰民族”组织派出的三名歹徒在演讲台上连开16枪刺杀了马尔科姆，这是人类历史最残忍的刺杀案之一。
Speaker: Malcolm X, May 19, 1925-February 21, 1965, human rights activist, one of the greatest and most influential African Americans in history Date & Place: April 3, 1964, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Background: 1964 was an election year. In the speech, Malcolm advised African-Americans to judiciously exercise their right to vote, but he cautioned that if the government continued to prevent African-Americans from attaining full equality, it might be necessary for them to take up arms. The speech is 7050 words and took 53 minutes to deliver, won 116 ovations, ranked 7th in the top 100 American speeches of the 20th century.
The Ballot or the Bullet ——Malcolm X
Mr. Moderator, Reverend Cleage, Brother Lomax, brothers and sisters, and friends and I see some enemies. In fact, I think we’d be fooling ourselves if we had an audience this large and didn’t realize that there were some enemies present.
This afternoon we want to talk about the ballot or the bullet. The ballot or the bullet explains itself. But before we get into it, since this is the year of the ballot or the bullet, I would like to clarify some things that refer to me personally -- concerning my own personal position.
I'm still a Muslim. That is, my religion is still Islam. My religion is still Islam. I still credit Mr. Mohammed for what I know and what I am. He’s the one who opened my eyes. At present, I'm the Minister of the newly founded Muslim Mosque, Incorporated which has its offices in the Teresa Hotel, right in the heart of Harlem -- that’s the black belt in New York city. And when we realize that Adam Clayton Powell is a Christian minister, he’s the -- he heads Abyssinian Baptist Church, but at the same time, he’s more famous for his political struggling.
And Dr. King is a Christian Minister, in Atlanta – or from Atlanta Georgia -- or in Atlanta, Georgia, but he’s become more famous for being involved in the civil rights struggle. There’s another in New York, Reverend Galamison -- I don’t know if you’ve heard of him out here – he’s a Christian Minister from Brooklyn, but has become famous for his fight against a segregated school system in Brooklyn. Reverend Clee, right here, is a Christian Minister, here in Detroit. He’s the head of the “Freedom Now Party.”
All of these are Christian Ministers -- All of these are Christian Ministers, but they don’t come to us as Christian Ministers. They come to us as fighters in some other category.
I’m a Muslim minister -- the same as they are Christian Ministers -- I’m a Muslim minister. And I don’t believe in fighting today in any one front, but on all fronts.
In fact, I’m a black Nationalist Freedom Fighter.
Islam is my religion, but I believe my religion is my personal business. It governs my personal life, my personal morals. And my religious philosophy is personal between me and the God in whom I believe; just as the religious philosophy of these others is between them and the God in whom they believe.
And this is best this way. Were we to come out here discussing religion, we’d have too many differences from the outstart and we could never get together. So today, though Islam is my religious philosophy, my political, economic, and social philosophy is Black Nationalism. You and I -- As I say, if we bring up religion we’ll have differences; we’ll have arguments; and we’ll never be able to get together. But if we keep our religion at home, keep our religion in the closet, keep our religion between ourselves and our God, but when we come out here, we have a fight that’s common to all of us against a [sic] enemy who is common to all of us.
The political philosophy of Black Nationalism only means that the black man should control the politics and the politicians in his own community. The -- The time -- The time when white people can come in our community and get us to vote for them so that they can be our political leaders and tell us what to do and what not to do is long gone.
By the same token, the time when that same white man, knowing that your eyes are too far open, can send another negro into the community and get you and me to support him so he can use him to lead us astray -- those days are long gone too.
The political philosophy of Black Nationalism only means that if you and I are going to live in a Black community -- and that’s where we’re going to live, cause as soon as you move into one of their -- soon as you move out of the Black community into their community, it’s mixed for a period of time, but they’re gone and you’re right there all by yourself again.
We must -- We must understand the politics of our community and we must know what politics is supposed to produce. We must know what part politics play in our lives. And until we become politically mature we will always be mislead, lead astray, or deceived or maneuvered into supporting someone politically who doesn’t have the good of our community at heart.
So the political philosophy of Black Nationalism only means that we will have to carry on a program, a political program, of re-education to open our peoples eyes, make us become more politically conscious, politically mature, and then we will -- whenever we get ready to cast our ballot that ballot, will be cast for a man of the community who has the good of the community of heart.
The economic philosophy of Black Nationalism only means that we should own and operate and control the economy of our community. You would never found -- you can’t open up a black store in a white community. White men won’t even patronize you. And he’s not wrong. He’s got sense enough to look out for himself. You the one who don’t have sense enough to look out for yourself.
The white man -- The white man is too intelligent to let someone else come and gain control of the economy of his community. But you will let anyone come in and take control of the economy of your community, control the housing, control the education, control the jobs, control the businesses, under the pre-text that you want to integrate. No, you outta your mind.
The political, the economic philosophy of Black Nationalism only means that we have to become involved in a program of reeducation to educate our people into the importance of knowing that when you spend your dollar out of the community in which you live, the community in which you spend your money becomes richer and richer; the community out which you take your money becomes poorer and poorer.
And because these Negroes, who have been mislead, misguided, are breaking their necks to take their money and spend it with The Man, The Man is becoming richer and richer, and you’re becoming poorer and poorer. And then what happens? The community in which you live becomes a slum. It becomes a ghetto. The conditions become run down. And then you have the audacity to complain about poor housing in a run-down community. Why you run it down yourself when you take your dollar out.
And you and I are in the double-track, because not only do we lose by taking our money someplace else and spending it, when we try and spend it in our own community we’re trapped because we haven’t had sense enough to set up stores and control the businesses of our own community. The man who’s controlling the stores in our community is a man who doesn’t look like we do. He’s a man who doesn’t even live in the community. So you and I, even when we try to spend our money in the block where we live or the area where we live, we’re spending it with a man who, when the sun goes down, takes that basket full of money in another part of the town.
So we’re trapped, trapped, double-trapped, triple -rapped. Anywhere we go we find that we’re trapped. And every kind of solution that someone comes up with is just another trap. But the political and economic philosophy of Black Nationalism -- the economic philosophy of Black Nationalism shows our people the importance of setting up these little stores and developing them and expanding them into larger operations. Woolworth didn’t start out big like they are today. They started out with a dime store and expanded and expanded and then expanded until today, they’re are all over the country and all over the world, and they get to some of everybody’s money.
Now this is what you and I -- General Motors is same way. They didn’t start out like they it is. It started out just a little rat race type operation. And it expanded and it expanded until today where it is right now. And you and I have to make a start and the best place to start is right in the community where we live.
So our people not only have to be reeducated to the importance of supporting black business, but the black man himself has to be made aware of the importance of going into business. And once you and I go into business, we own and operate at least the businesses in our community. What we will be doing is developing a situation wherein we will actually be able to create employment for the people in the community. And once you can create some employment in the community where you live it will eliminate the necessity of you and me having to act ignorantly and disgracefully, boycotting and picketing some practice some place else trying to beg him for a job.
Anytime you have to rely upon your enemy for a job -- you’re in bad shape. When you have -- he is your enemy. Let me tell you, you wouldn’t be in this country if some enemy hadn’t kidnapped you and brought you here.
On the other hand, some of you think you came here on the Mayflower.
So as you can see brothers and sisters, today -- this afternoon, it is not our intention to discuss religion. We’re going to forget religion. If we bring up religion, we’ll be in an argument, and the best way to keep away from arguments and differences -- as I said earlier -- put your religion at home -- in the closet.
Keep it between you and your God.
Because if it hasn’t done anything more for you than it has, you need to forget it anyway.
Whether you are -- Whether you are a Christian, or a Muslim, or a Nationalist, we all have the same problem. They don’t hang you because you’re a Baptist; they hang you 'cause you’re black. They don’t attack me because I’m a Muslim; they attack me 'cause I’m black. They attack all of us for the same reason; all of us catch hell from the same enemy. We’re all in the same bag, in the same boat. We suffer political oppression, economic exploitation, and social degradation -- all of them from the same enemy. The government has failed us; you can’t deny that. Anytime you live in the twentieth century, 1964, and you walkin' around here singing “We Shall Overcome,” the government has failed us.
This is part of what’s wrong with you -- you do too much singing. Today it’s time to stop singing and start swinging. You can’t sing up on freedom, but you can swing up on some freedom. Cassius Clay can sing, but singing didn’t help him to become the heavy-weight champion of the world -- swinging helped him become the heavy-weight champion. This government has failed us; the government itself has failed us, and the white liberals who have been posing as our friends have failed us.
And once we see that all these other sources to which we’ve turned have failed, we stop turning to them and turn to ourselves. We need a self help program, a do-it-yourself philosophy, a do-it-right-now philosophy, a it’s-already-too- late philosophy. This is what you and I need to get with, and the only time -- the only way we are going to solve our problem is with a self-help program. Before we can get a self-help program started we have to have a self-help philosophy.
Black nationalism is a self-help philosophy. What's is so good about it? You can stay right in the church where you are and still take black nationalism as your philosophy. You can stay in any kind of civic organization that you belong to and still take black nationalism as your philosophy. You can be an atheist and still take black nationalism as your philosophy. This is a philosophy that eliminates the necessity for division and argument. 'Cause if you are black you should be thinking black, and if you are black and you not thinking black at this late date, well I’m sorry for you.
Once you change your philosophy, you change your thought pattern. Once you change your thought pattern, you change your -- your attitude. Once you change your attitude, it changes your behavior pattern and then you go on into some action. As long as you gotta sit-down philosophy, you’ll have a sit-down thought pattern, and as long as you think that old sit-down thought you’ll be in some kind of sit-down action. They’ll have you sitting in everywhere. It’s not so good to refer to what you’re going to do as a sit-in. That right there castrates you. Right there it brings you down. What -- What goes with it? What -- Think of the image of someone sitting. An old woman can sit. An old man can sit. A chump can sit. A coward can sit. Anything can sit. Well you and I been sitting long enough, and it’s time today for us to start doing some standing, and some fighting to back that up.
When we look like -- at other parts of this earth upon which we live, we find that black, brown, red, and yellow people in Africa and Asia are getting their independence. They’re not getting it by singing “We Shall Overcome.” No, they’re getting it through nationalism. It is nationalism that brought about the independence of the people in Asia. Every nation in Asia gained its independence through the philosophy of nationalism. Every nation on the African continent that has gotten its independence brought it about through the philosophy of nationalism. And it will take black nationalism -- that to bring about the freedom of 22 million Afro-Americans here in this country where we have suffered colonialism for the past 400 years.
America is just as much a colonial power as England ever was. America is just as much a colonial power as France ever was. In fact, America is more so a colonial power than they because she’s a hypocritical colonial power behind it.
What is 20th -- What -- What do you call second class citizenship? Why, that’s colonization. Second class citizenship is nothing but 20th century slavery. How you gonna tell me you’re a second class citizen. They don’t have second class citizenship in any other government on this earth. They just have slaves and people who are free. Well, this country is a hypocrite. They try and make you think they set you free by calling you a second class citizen. No, you’re nothing but a 20th century slave.
Just as it took nationalism to move -- to remove colonialism from Asia and Africa, it’ll take black nationalism today to remove colonialism from the backs and the minds of 22 million Afro-Americans here in this country.
And 1964 looks like it might be the year of the ballot or the bullet.
Why does it look like it might be the year of the ballot or the bullet? Because Negroes have listened to the trickery, and the lies, and the false promises of the white man now for too long. And they’re fed up. They’ve become disenchanted. They’ve become disillusioned. They’ve become dissatisfied, and all of this has built up frustrations in the black community that makes the black community throughout America today more explosive than all of the atomic bombs the Russians can ever invent.
Whenever you got a racial powder keg sitting in your lap, you’re in more trouble than if you had an atomic powder keg sitting in your lap. When a racial powder keg goes off, it doesn’t care who it knocks out the way. Understand this, it’s dangerous.
And in 1964 this seems to be the year, because what can the white man use now to fool us after he put down that march on Washington? And you see all through that now. He tricked you, had you marching down to Washington. Yes, had you marching back and forth between the feet of a dead man named Lincoln and another dead man named George Washington singing “We Shall Overcome.” He made a chump out of you. He made a fool out of you. He made you think you were going somewhere and you end up going nowhere but between Lincoln and Washington.
So today, our people are disillusioned. They’ve become disenchanted. They’ve become dissatisfied, and in their frustrations they want action.
And in 1964 you’ll see this young black man, this new generation asking for the ballot or the bullet. That old Uncle Tom action is outdated. The young generation don’t want to hear anything about the odds are against us. What do we care about odds?
When this country here was first being founded there were 13 colonies. The -- The whites were colonized. They were fed up with this taxation without representation, so some of them stood up and said “liberty or death.” Though I went to a white school over here in Mason, Michigan, the white man made the mistake of letting me read his history books. He made the mistake of teaching me that Patrick Henry was a patriot, and George Washington, wasn’t nothing non-violent about old Pat or George Washington.
Liberty or death was what brought about the freedom of whites in this country from the English. They didn’t care about the odds. Why they faced the wrath of the entire British Empire. And in those days they used to say that the British Empire was so vast and so powerful when the sun -- the sun would never set on them. This is how big it was, yet these 13 little, scrawny states, tired of taxation without representation, tired of being exploited and oppressed and degraded, told that big British Empire “liberty or death.”
And here you have 22 million Afro-American black people today catching more hell than Patrick Henry ever saw. And I’m -- I’m here to tell you in case you don’t know it -- that you got a new -- you got a new generation of black people in this country who don’t care anything whatsoever about odds. They don’t want to hear you old Uncle Tom handkerchief heads talking about the odds. No. This is a new generation. If they’re gonna draft these young black men and send them over to Korea or South Vietnam to face 800 million Chinese -- if you’re not afraid of those odds, you shouldn’t be afraid of these odds.
Why is America -- Why does this loom to be such an explosive political year? Because this is the year of politics. This is the year when all of the white politicians are going to come into the Negro community. You never see them until election time. You can’t find them until election time. They’re going to come in with false promises, and as they make these false promises they're gonna feed our frustrations and this will only serve to make matters worse.
I’m no politician. I’m not even a student of politics. I’m not a Republican, nor a Democrat, nor an American, and got sense enough to know it. I’m one of the 22 million black victims of the Democrats, one of the 22 million black victims of the Republicans, and one of the 22 million black victims of Americanism. And when I speak, I don’t speak as a Democrat, or a Republican, *nor an American.* I speak as a victim of America’s so-called democracy. You and I have never seen democracy; all we’ve seen is hypocrisy. When we open our eyes today and look around America, we see America not through the eyes of someone who have -- who has enjoyed the fruits of Americanism, we see America through the eyes of someone who has been the victim of Americanism. We don’t see any American dream; we’ve experienced only the American nightmare. We haven’t benefited from America’s democracy; we’ve only suffered from America’s hypocrisy. And the generation that’s coming up now can see it and are not afraid to say it.
If you -- If you go to jail, so what? If you black, you were born in jail. If you black, you were born in jail, in the North as well as the South. Stop talking about the South. Long as you south of the -- Long as you south of the Canadian border, you’re south.
Don’t call Governor Wallace a Dixie governor; Romney is a Dixie governor. Twenty-two million black victims of Americanism are waking up and they’re gaining a new political consciousness, becoming politically mature. And as they become -- develop this political maturity, they’re able to see the recent trends in these political elections.
They see that the whites are so evenly divided that every time they vote the race is so close they have to go back and count the votes all over again. And that -- which means that any block, any minority that has a block of votes that stick together is in a strategic position. Either way you go, that’s who gets it. You’re in a position to determine who will go to the White House, and who will stay in the dog house. You’re the one who has that power. You can keep Johnson in Washington D.C., or you can send him back to his Texas cotton patch. You’re the one who sent Kennedy to Washington. You’re the one who put the present Democratic Administration in Washington D.C. The whites were evenly divided. It was the fact that you threw 80 percent of your votes behind the Democrats that put the Democrats in the White House.
When you see this, you can see that the Negro vote is the key factor. And despite the fact that you are in a position to be the determining factor, what do you get out of it? The Democrats have been in Washington D.C. only because of the Negro vote. They’ve been down there four years, and there all other legislations they wanted to bring up they brought it up and gotten it out of the way, and now they bring up you. And now, they bring up you. You put them first, and they put you last 'cause you’re a chump, a political chump.
In Washington D.C., in the House of Representatives there are 257 who are Democrats; only 177 are Republican. In the Senate there are 67 Democrats; only 33 are Republicans. The Party that you backed controls two-thirds of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and still they can’t keep their promise to you, 'cause you’re a chump. Anytime you throw your weight behind the political party that controls two-thirds of the government, and that Party can’t keep the promise that it made to you during election time, and you’re dumb enough to walk around continuing to identify yourself with that Party, you’re not only a chump, but you’re a traitor to your race.
And what kind of alibi do they come up with? They try and pass the buck to the Dixiecrats. Now back during the days when you were blind, deaf, and dumb, ignorant, politically immature, naturally you went along with that. But today as your eyes come open, and you develop political maturity, you’re able to see and think for yourself, and you can see that a Dixiecrat is nothing but a Democrat in disguise.
You look at the structure of the government that controls this country; it’s controlled by 16 senatorial committees and 20 congressional committees. Of the 16 senatorial committees that run the government, 10 of them are in the hands of Southern segregationists. Of the 20 congressional committees that run the government, 12 of them in the -- are in the hands of Southern segregationists. And they're going to tell you and me that the South lost the war.
You, today, have -- are in the hands of a government of segregationists, racists, white supremacists who belong to the Democratic party, but disguise themselves as Dixiecrats. A Dixiecrat is nothing but a Democrat. Whoever runs the Democrats is also the father of the Dixiecrats, and the father of all of them is sitting in the White House. I say and I say it again: You got a President who’s nothing but a Southern segregationist from the state of Texas. They’ll lynch you in Texas as quick as they’ll lynch you in Mississippi. Only in -- in Texas they lynch you with a Texas accent; in Mississippi they lynch you with a Mississippi accent.
And the first thing the cracker does when he comes in power, he takes all the Negro leaders and invites them for coffee to show that he’s alright. And those Uncle Toms can’t pass up the coffee. They come away from the coffee table telling you and me that this man is alright 'cause he’s from the South, and since he’s from the South he can deal with the South. Look at the logic that they’re using. What about Eastland? He’s from the South. Make him the President. He can -- If Johnson is a good man from the 'cause he’s from Texas, and being from Texas will enable him to deal with the South, Eastland can deal with the South better than Johnson. Oh, I say you’ve been mislead. You been had. You been took.
I was in Washington a couple weeks ago while the Senators were filibustering, and I noticed in the back of the Senate a huge map, and on this map it showed the distribution of Negroes in America, and surprisingly the same Senators that were involved in the filibuster were from the states where there were the most Negroes. Why were they filibustering the civil rights legislation? Because the civil rights legislation is supposed to guarantee voting rights to Negroes in those states, and those senators from those states know that if the Negroes in those states can vote, those senators are down the drain. The Representatives of those states go down the drain. And in the Constitution of this country it has a stipulation wherein, whenever the rights, the voting rights, of people in a certain district are violated, then the Representative who’s from that particular district, according to the Constitution, is supposed to be expelled from the Congress. Now, if this particular aspect of the Constitution was enforced, why you wouldn’t have a cracker in Washington D.C. But what would happen when you expel the Dixiecrat, you’re expelling the Democrat. When you destroy the power of the Dixiecrat, you’re destroying the power -- power of the Democratic Party. So how in the world can the Democratic Party in the South actually side with you in sincerity, when all of its power is based in the -- in the South?
These Northern Democrats are in cahoots with the Southern Democrats. They’re playing a giant con game, a political con game. You know how it goes. One of them -- one of them comes to you and makes believe he's for you, and he’s in cahoots with the other one that’s not for you. Why? Because neither one of them is for you, but they got to make you go with one of them or the other. So this is a con game. And this is what they’ve been doing with you and me all these years.
First thing Johnson got off the plane when he become President, he asked “Where’s Dicky?” You know who “Dicky” is? Dicky is old Southern cracker Richard -- Richard Russell. Look here, yes. Lyndon B. Johnson’s best friend is the one who is the head, who’s heading the forces that are filibustering civil rights legislation. You tell me how in the hell is he going to be Johnson’s best friend? How can Johnson be his friend, and your friend too? No, that man is too tricky. Especially if his friend is still old Dicky.
Whenever the Negroes keep the Democrats in power, they’re keeping the Dixiecrats in power. Is this true? A vote for a Democrat is nothing but a vote for a Dixiecrat. I know you don’t like me saying that, but I, I’m not the kind of person who come here to say what you like. I’m going to tell you the truth, whether you like it or not.
Up here, in the North you have the same thing. The Democratic party don’t -- don't do it. They don’t do it that way. They got a think that they call gerrymandering. They -- They maneuver you out of power. Even though you vote, they fix it so you’re voting for nobody; they’ve got you going and coming. In the South, they’re outright political wolves. In the North, they’re political foxes. A fox and a wolf are both canine, both belong to the dog family. Now you take your choice. You going to choose a Northern dog or a Southern dog? Because either dog you choose I guarantee you you’ll still be in the dog house.
This is why I say it’s the ballot or the bullet. It’s liberty or it’s death. It’s freedom for everybody or freedom for nobody. America today finds herself in a unique situation. Historically, revolutions are bloody. Oh, yes, they are. They haven’t never had a blood-less revolution, or a non-violent revolution. That don’t happen even in Hollywood. You don’t have a revolution in which you love your enemy, and you don’t have a revolution in which you are begging the system of exploitation to integrate you into it. Revolutions overturn systems. Revolutions destroy systems.
A revolution is bloody, but America is in a unique position. She’s the only country in history in a position actually to become involved in a blood-less revolution. The Russian revolution was bloody, Chinese revolution was bloody, French revolution was bloody, Cuban revolution was bloody, and there was nothing more bloody then the American Revolution. But today this country can become involved in a revolution that won’t take bloodshed. All she’s got to do is give the black man in this country everything that’s due him, everything.
I hope that the white man can see this, 'cause if he don’t see it you’re finished. If you don’t see it you’re going to be coming -- you’re going to become involved in some action in which you don’t have a chance. And we don’t care anything about your atomic bomb; it's -- it’s useless because other countries have atomic bombs. When two or three different countries have atomic bombs, nobody can use them, so it means that the white man today is without a weapon. If you’re gonna -- If you want some action, you gotta come on down to Earth. And there's more black people on Earth than there are white people on Earth.
I only got a couple more minutes. The white man can never win another war on the ground. His days of war, victory, his reign -- his days of ground victory are over. Can I prove it? Yes. Take all the action that’s going on this earth right now that he’s involved in -- tell me where he’s winning. Nowhere.
Why some rice farmers -- some rice farmers -- some rice eaters ran him out of Korea. Yes, they ran him out of Korea. Rice eaters with nothing but gym shoes, and a rifle, and a bowl of rice took him and his tanks and his napalm, and all that other action he’s supposed to have and ran him across the Yalu. Why? 'Cause the day that he can win on the ground has passed.
Up in French Indo-China those little peasants, rice growers took on the might of the French army and ran all the Frenchmen -- you remember Dien Bien Phu. No.
The same thing happened in Algeria, in Africa -- they didn’t have anything but a rifle. The French had all these highly mechanized instruments of warfare, but they put some guerilla action on, and a -- and a -- and a white man can’t fight a guerilla warfare. Guerilla action takes heart, takes nerve, and he doesn’t have that. He’s brave when he’s got tanks. He’s brave when he’s got planes. He’s brave when he’s got bombs. He’s brave when he’s got a whole lot of company along with him, but you take that little man from Africa and Asia, turn him loose in the woods with a blade, with a blade -- that’s all he needs, all he needs is a blade – and when the sun comes down -- goes down, goes down and it’s dark, it’s even-steven.
So it’s the -- it's the ballot or the bullet. Today our people can see that we’re faced with a government conspiracy. This government has failed us. The senators who are filibustering concerning your and my rights, that's the government. Don’t say it’s Southern senators. This is the government; this is a government filibuster. It’s not a segregationist filibuster. It’s a government filibuster. Any kind of activity that takes place on the floor of the Congress or the Senate, it’s the government. Any kind of dilly-dallying, that’s the government. Any kind of pussy-footing, that’s the government. Any kind of act that’s designed to delay or deprive you and me right now of getting full rights, that’s the government that's responsible.
And any time you find the government involved in a conspiracy to violate the citizenship or the civil rights of a people, then you are wasting your time going to that government expecting redress. Instead, you have to take that government to the World Court and accuse it of genocide and all of the other crimes that it is guilty of today.
So those of us whose political, and economic, and social philosophy is black nationalism have become involved in the civil rights struggle. We have injected ourselves into the civil rights struggle, and we intend to expand it from the level of civil rights to the level of human rights. As long as you're -- As long as you're fighting on the level of civil rights, you’re under Uncle Sam’s jurisdiction. You’re going to his court expecting him to correct the problem. He created the problem. He’s the criminal. You don’t take your case to the criminal; you take your criminal to court. When the government of South Africa began to trample upon the human rights of the people of South Africa, they were taken to the U.N. When the government of Portugal began to trample upon the -- the rights of our brothers and sisters in Angola, it was taken before the U.N. Why even the white man took the Hungarian question to the U.N. And just this week Chief Justice Goldberg was crying over 3 million Jews in Russia about their human rights, charging Russia with violating the U.N. charter because of its mistreatment of the human rights of Jews in Russia.
Now you tell me how can the plight of everybody on this earth reach the halls of the United Nations, and you have 22 million Afro-Americans whose choices are being bound, whose little girls are being murdered, whose leaders are being shot down in broad daylight. Now you tell me why the leaders of this struggle have never taken it before the United Nations. So our next move is to take the entire civil rights struggle problems into the United Nations, and let the world see that Uncle Sam is guilty of violating the human rights of 22 million Afro-Americans....
[short audio gap...content uncertain]
[Uncle Sam...] and still has the audacity or the nerve to stand up and represent himself as the leader of the free world. Not only is he a crook, he’s a hypocrite. Here he is standing up in front of other people, Uncle Sam, with the blood of your and mine mothers and fathers on his hands, with the blood dripping down his jaws like a bloody-jawed wolf, and still got the nerve to point his finger at other countries. You can’t even get civil rights legislation. And this man has got the nerve to stand up and talk about South Africa, or talk about Nazi Germany, or talk about Deutschland. Why? No more days like those.
So, I say in my conclusion the only way we're going to solve it – we’ve got to unite in unity and harmony, and black nationalism is the key. How we gonna overcome the tendency to be at each others throats that always exists in our neighborhoods? And the reason this tendency exists, the strategy of the white man has always been divide and conquer. He keeps us divided in order to conquer us. He tells you I’m for separation and you for integration to keep us fighting with each other. No, I’m not for separation and you’re not for integration. What you and I is for is freedom. Only you think that integration would get you freedom, I think separation would get me freedom. We both got the same objective, we just got different ways of getting at it.
So I studied this man, Billy Graham, who preaches white nationalism, that’s what he preaches. I say that’s what he preaches. The whole church structure in this country is white nationalism. You go inside a white church that’s what they preaching is white nationalism. They got Jesus white, Mary white, God white, everybody white -- that’s white nationalism. So what he does -- the way he -- the way he -- the way he circumvents the -- the jealousy and envy that he ordinarily would incur among the heads of the church, wherever he go into an area where the church already is you going into trouble, 'cause they got that thing what you call it -- syndicated, they got a syndicate -- just like the rest of the Racketeers have. I’m going to say what’s on my mind 'cause the churches are, the preachers already proved to you that they got a syndicate.
And when you're out in the rackets, whenever you're getting in another man’s territory, you know, they gang up on you. And that’s the same way with you -- you ran into the same thing. So how Billy Graham gets around that, instead of going into somebody else’s territory, like he going to start up a new church, he don't -- he doesn’t try to start a church. He just goes in preaching Christ. And he says everybody who believe in Him, you go wherever -- you go wherever you find him. So this helps all the churches and since it helps all the churches they don’t mind fight him.
Well, we gonna do the same thing, only our gospel s black nationalism; his gospel is white nationalism; our gospel is black nationalism. And the gospel of black nationalism, as I told you, means you should control you own, the politics of your community, the economy of your community, and all of the society in which you live should be under your control. And once you feel that this philosophy will solve your problem, go join any church where that’s preached. Don’t join a church where white nationalism is preached. Now you can go to a Negro church and be exposed to white nationalism 'cause you are when you walk in a Negro church and a white Mary and some white angels -- that Negro church is preaching white nationalism. But when you go to a church and you see the pastor of that church with a philosophy and a program that’s designed to bring black people together and elevate black people -- join that church. Join that church. If you see where the NAACP is preaching and practicing that which is designed to make black nationalism materialize, join the NAACP. Join any kind of organization, civic, religious, fraternal, political, or otherwise that’s based on lifting the black man up and making him master of his own community.
It’ll be -- It’ll be the -- the ballot or it’ll be the bullet. It’ll be liberty or it’ll be death. And if you’re not ready to pay that price don’t use the word freedom in your vocabulary.
One more thing: I was on a program in Illinois recently with Senator Paul Douglas, a so-called liberal, so-called Democrat, so-called white man, at which time he told me that our African brothers were not interested in us in Africa. He said the Africans are not interested in the American Negro. I knew he was lying, but during the next two or three weeks it’s my intention and plan to make a tour of our African homeland. And I hope that when I come back, I’ll be able to come back and let you know how our African brothers and sisters feel toward us. And I know before I go there that they love us. We’re one; we’re the same; the same man who has colonized them all these years, colonized you and me too all these years. And all we have to do now is wake up and work in unity and harmony and the battle will be over.
I want to thank the Freedom Now Party and the goal. I want to thank Milton and Richard Henley for inviting me here this afternoon, and also Reverend Cleage. And I want them to know that anything that I can ever do, at any time, to work with anybody in any kind of program that is sincerely designed to eliminate the political, the economic, and the social evils that confront all of our people, in Detroit and elsewhere, all they got to do is give me a telephone call and I’ll be on the next jet right on into the city.
选票还是子弹?
——马尔科姆·艾克斯
演讲者：马尔科姆·艾克斯，1925.5.19---1965.2.21．人权活动家，历史上最伟大和最有影响力的美国黑人之一
时间地点：1964年4月3 El，美国俄亥俄州克里夫兰市
演讲背景：1964年是美国的大选年。马尔科姆发表演讲．号召美国黑人明智地行使投票权，同时警告说，如果政府继续阻碍美国黑人获得完全平等的权利，他们就有必要拿起武器。本演讲共有7050个英文单词，用时53分钟，赢得116次掌声，在《美国20世纪经典演讲100篇》中排名第7位。
教长先生，克利哥教士，洛马克斯兄弟①，兄弟们，姐妹们，朋友们，还有在场的一些敌人们：(掌声) 这么多听众，如果说其中没有夹杂着敌人，那是自欺欺人。
①男性黑人或同一宗教信仰的人之间常互称“兄弟”。
今天下午，我们要讨论的主题是：选票还是子弹。选票还是子弹从字面上看很容易理解。由于这是个由选票和子弹统治的时代，在切入正题之前，请允许我澄清关于我个人立场的某些事实。
我现在仍是个穆斯林，也就是说我信仰伊斯兰教。(掌声)我的宗教信仰是伊斯兰教。我认为自己现在仍然信任穆罕默德先生①，他开启了我的智慧之门。(掌声)我目前在新成立的穆斯林清真寺任教长，该清真寺在纽约黑人居住区哈莱姆的特丽莎饭店有办公处。在那里，我认识了因政治斗争而闻名的阿拉姆·克莱顿·鲍威尔②，他是基督教牧师，领导着阿比西尼亚浸礼会。还有，因领导民权斗争而闻名的佐治亚洲亚特兰大的金博士也是个基督教牧师。因反对纽约西南部工业区布鲁克林学校隔离制度而闻名的加勒密森牧师，他也是个基督教牧师。“现在自由党”的领袖克利牧师今天也在这里，他是底特律的基督教牧师。他们都是基督教的牧师，(掌声)但他们没有以基督教牧师的身份来到我们中间，从某种意义上说，他们是作为战士来到我们中间的。
我是个穆斯林教长，和基督教牧师一样，属于宗教人士。我认为，我们今天不是在一条战线上作战，而是在所有战线上作战。(掌声)实际上，我是个黑人“民族主义者自由战士”。(掌声) 我信仰伊斯兰教，但我认为，我的宗教信仰纯属个人事情，(掌声)它引导我的个人生活和道德。我的宗教观是我和我所信仰的神之间的私事，这和其他人的宗教观是他们和他们所信仰的神之间的私事一样。这是对宗教信仰的最好解释。如果我们在这里讨论宗教问题，我们会从一开始就分道扬镳，我们就永远不可能团结起来。
①1897．10--1975．2．25，美国黑人穆斯林领袖，“伊斯兰民族”的创建者。1963年3月，马尔科姆宣布与“伊斯兰民族”决裂。
②1908．11．29—1972．4．4，牧师，1945—1971任联邦众议员。 所以，在今天，尽管伊斯兰教是我的宗教观，但我的政治、经济和社会观点是“黑人民族主义”。(掌声)是的，正如我所说，如果我们提出宗教问题来，我们就会产生分歧，就会争论不休，就永远不可能团结起来。然而，如果我们把宗教问题留在家里，留在你们自己的书房里，把它看作是我们和神之间的私事，当我们来到这里时，就会为战胜共同的敌人团结作战。(掌声)
“黑人民族主义”的政治观点是：黑人自己决定自己社区的政策、选择自己的政治领袖。(掌声)白人进入我们社区，忽悠我们投他们的票，让他们做我们的政治领导，告诉我们该做什么不该做什么，这样的日子一去不复返了。(掌声)出于同一目的，那个白人①知道你们的眼睛已经擦亮，于是就派一个黑人②来到我们社区，劝我们支持那个白人，这样，他就可以利用这个黑人把我们引向歧途，这样的日子也一去不复返了。(掌声) ①暗指约翰逊总统。 ②暗指马丁·路德·金。
“黑人民族主义”的政治观点还是：我们要到一个黑人社区去居住，那里才是我们居住的地方。因为当你们搬到一个白人社区时，当你们从黑人社区搬到白人社区时，那些白人很快就跑光了，结果还是你们自己住在那里。(掌声)我们必须明白我们社区的政治，我们必须知道需要什么样的政治，我们必须知道是什么样的政治在我们的生活中起作用。我们在政治上成熟以前，我们总是被误导、被引入歧途，白人欺骗、愚弄我们，让我们在政治上支持从内心憎恨黑人社会的人。所以，“黑人民族主义”的政治观点也是：我们必须有一个教育我们人民擦亮眼睛的政治纲领，提高我们的政治觉悟，在政治上走向成熟。这样，当我们面临投票机会的时候，我们就会把票投给为我们社区着想的人。(掌声)
“黑人民族主义”的经济观点是：我们应该拥有、管理和控制我们社区的经济。你们不能在白人社区开商店，即使开了，白人也不会光顾。白人没有错，他们是为自己的利益考虑，可你们却没有为自己利益考虑的意识。(掌声)白人太聪明了，他们不会让别人进入他们的社区控制他们的经济。可你们让他们进入你们的社区控制你们的经济。他们以种族融合为借口控制住房、教育、就业和商业。不能这样，你们可要当心了。(掌声)所以，“黑人民族主义”的经济观点必然是：我们必须有一个再教育纲领，教育我们的人民认识到，当把美元拿到你们所在的社区以外消费时，得到你美元的社区就会越来越富，你们所在的社区就会越来越穷。这一点非常重要。
由于这些黑人被误导了，被引入了歧途，他们拼命把自己挣的钱拿到白人社区去消费，结果白人越来越富，可你们却越来越穷。最后会发生什么呢?你们居住的社区就变成了贫民窟，变成了分离区，变得破败不堪。这时，你们还厚颜无耻地抱怨败落环境里的恶劣住房条件。你们为什么要把美元送给白人而自己把自己的社区搞垮呢?(掌声)
我和你们都处于进退维谷的境地，不仅是因为我们把钱拿到其他地方花使我们变穷，当我们设法在我们自己社区花钱的时候，我们也被坑害，因为我们没有意识到开办自己的商店并控制我们社区商业的重要性。那些控制我们社区商店的人可不像我们，他们甚至不住在我们社区。所以，当我们在我们居住的街区或地区消费的时候，我们就把钱送给了他们，日落后，他们就把满袋子的钱拿到这个城市的另一个地区。(掌声)
所以，我们被欺骗了，被双重欺骗了，被三重欺骗了。不管我们在哪里，我们都被欺骗了。他们提出的任何解决方案只是另一种欺骗而已。但是，“黑人民族主义”的经济观，是让我们自己人意识到建立一些小商店并发展它们、扩大经营的重要性。伍尔沃斯①开始建立商店的时候可没现在大，他开始创办的是“十分钱店”，以后不断扩张，一直扩张到现在的规模，全美国、全世界都有他们的连锁店，他们从每个人那里都挣到了钱。
①1852．4．13--1919．4．8，伍尔沃斯公司创始人，经营“五分十分店”连锁店，最早采用商品明码标价销售方式。
我们就应该这样去做。通用汽车公司①也是这样发展起来的。该公司建立的时候只生产小型跑车，后来一直扩展到今天的规模。我们必须着手创业，建立企业的最好地点就是我们居住的社区。(掌声)
所以，不仅要教育我们的人民认识到支持黑人企业的重要性，黑人自己也要意识到建立自己企业的重要性。一旦我和你们建立起企业来，至少我们是在我们自己的社区拥有并经营这些企业，那样我们就可以改善我们所在社区的生活条件，为那里的人们提供就业机会。我们自己的社区有了工作岗位，我们就没必要低三下四地到其他地方乞求别人赏赐给我们一份工作了。(掌声)
当你们必须依赖你们的敌人得到一份工作的时候，那你们可就遭殃了。让我来告诉你们，是一些敌人把你们拐卖到美国来的。(掌声)可你们有些人认为自己是乘“五月花号”②来这里的。(掌声)
所以，今天下午来这里的兄弟姐妹们无意讨论宗教问题，我们已经淡漠了宗教。如果我们把宗教问题提出来，我们就会争吵不休。正如我先前所讲，避免争吵和分歧的最好方式，就是把你们的宗教信仰留在家里，留在你们自己的书房里，把宗教当作是你们自己和神之间的私事。如果这样做还是不行，那你们就干脆忘记宗教。(掌声)
① 1908年9月16日，乔治·丹尼尔等3人投资2000美元创建了早期的通用汽车公司。
②1620年11月21日，102名清教徒为逃避英国国教的迫害，在布莱斯特牧师的率领下乘“五月花号”船来到美国，船上有14名黑奴。
不管你是基督徒还是穆斯林，或者是民族主义者，我们都面临相同的问题。他们不会因为你是浸信会教友就把你送上绞刑架，而是因为你是黑人才绞死你的；(掌声)他们不会因为我是穆斯林就攻击我，他们攻击我是因为我是黑人。同样的原因，他们攻击我们所有人，我们大家被共同的敌人押送到地狱之门。我们同舟共济、患难与共。我们饱受政治压迫、经济剥削，在社会上的地位遭到贬低，这些都是我们的共同敌人造成的。毋庸置疑，政府背弃了我们。20世纪以来——比如1964年——你们到处高唱“我们必将取胜”①，可政府早已打败了我们!(掌声)
你们错就错在了这里，你们唱得太多了。(掌声)今天是我们停止歌唱的时候了，我们要行动起来。(掌声)你们唱不出自由，但是，你们可以通过行动夺取自由。(掌声)卡西亚·格雷留会唱歌，但他的世界重量级金腰带不是唱出来的。(掌声)这个政府背弃了我们，那些声称是我们朋友的白人自由主义者背弃了我们。
一旦我们发现过去所依赖的资源靠不住，我们就要停止这种依赖，我们要依靠我们自己。我们需要一个自助计划，那是一个自己行动起来的纲领，一个现在就行动的纲领，一个现在不做更待何时的纲领。这就是我和你们所要的，解决我们问题的唯一途径就是自助计划。但是，在我们着手自助计划前，我们必须有一个自助纲领。
“黑人民族主义”就是一个自助纲领。它有哪些好处呢?你们可以去教堂，但仍可以把民族主义作为自己的观点带回来；你们可以继续参加任何公民组织，但仍可以把民族主义作为自己的观点带回来；你们可以是无神论者，但仍可以把民族主义作为自己的观点带回来。这是个消除分裂和争论的观点。你们既然是黑人，就应该为黑人的利益着想。如果作为黑人的你们到现在还执迷不悟，不知道为黑人的利益着想，那我就感到你们太可怜了。(掌声)
①美国黑人圣歌，马尔科姆以此讽刺马丁·路德·金的非暴力静坐抗议。
②即著名拳王穆罕默德-阿里。
一旦你们改变了自己的观点，你们就改变了自己的思维模式；一旦你们改变了自己的思维模式，你们就改变了自己的态度；一旦你们改变了自己的态度，你们就改变了自己的行为方式，决定采取某些行动。如果你们持静坐抗议的观点，你们就会有静坐抗议的思维模式；一旦你们有了陈腐的静坐抗议的思维，你们就会采取某种形式的静坐。白人会让你们坐在任何地方。(掌声)如果你们一直这样静坐下去，那可不怎么好，那会让你们变成残废，彻底摧毁你们的意志。那样做有什么用处?大家想想一些人的静坐情景吧：一个老太婆可以静坐，一个老头子可以静坐，一个白痴可以静坐，一个懦夫可以静坐，任何人都可以静坐。可我和你们静坐得太久了，今天是我们挺直腰板做事情的时候了，是我们用战斗捍卫我们站着做人的尊严的时候了。(掌声)
看看我们这个地球的另一边：在非洲，在亚洲，那里的黑色人种、棕色人种、红色人种和黄色人种正走向独立。他们可不是通过唱“我们必将取胜”获得独立的，绝对不是。他们是通过民族主义取得独立的，是民族主义让亚洲人民取得独立的。亚洲的任何一个民族都是通过民族主义取得独立的，非洲的任何一个民族也是通过民族主义取得独立的。黑人民族主义也必定能给这里被殖民主义奴役了400多年的2200万美国黑人带来自由。(掌声)
现在的美国和过去的英国一样，是个殖民帝国；现在的美国和过去的法国一样，是个殖民帝国。事实上，与上面两个殖民国家相比，美国有过之而无不及，因为它是个伪善的殖民帝国。(掌声)
你们认为二等公民是什么?那就是殖民，那就是20世纪的奴隶。在这个地球上的任何其他国家可没有二等公民，那里只有奴隶和自由人。你们看，美国是个何等伪善的国家，他们设法让你们认为，叫你们是二等公民就给你们自由了。不，你们只不过是20世纪的奴隶而已。(掌声)就像民族主义在亚洲和非洲把殖民主义铲除一样，今天的黑人民族主义也必将把殖民主义从2200万美国黑人的身上和心里根除。
1964年看起来是选票或子弹的一年。(掌声)为什么说1964年是选票或子弹的一年?因为黑人已听腻了白人的欺骗、谎言和虚假的承诺，他们对这一切厌烦了，他们明白了，他们觉醒了，他们对当前的一切不满了。所有这些在黑人社区凝聚成一股力量，使今天美国所有的黑人社区的威力比苏联能够生产的所有原子弹的爆炸当量都大。
抱着一个种族火药桶比抱着一颗原子弹更危险。一旦种族火药桶爆炸，它可不管毁灭的是谁。要明白，这确实很危险。
1964年看上去到时候了。在白人平息了华盛顿的黑人游行①之后，他们还能用什么伎俩来愚弄我们呢?你们现在应该明白这一切，他们在欺骗你们，让你们去华盛顿游行。你们在两个死人脚下——林肯纪念馆和华盛顿纪念碑——之间游行呐喊，高唱“我们必将取胜”。(掌声)他们把你们当作蠢货，当作傻瓜。他们让你们认为自己在去什么地方，可你们哪里也没去成，就在林肯和华盛顿之间游来荡去。②(掌声) ①指1963年8月28日华盛顿大游行，马丁·路德·金在集会上发表了《我有一个梦》的著名演讲。
②双关语，马尔科姆明指在林肯纪念堂和华盛顿纪念碑之间游行，暗喻虽然林肯总统签署了《解放黑奴宣言》，但黑人仍然处于华盛顿总统到林肯总统期间的状况。
今天，我们的人民已经觉醒，他们不再对白人抱有幻想，他们不再恬然自得，他们要在失望中采取行动。你们将看到年青一代黑人寻求的要么是选票，要么是子弹。汤姆叔叔①的行为已经过时了。有人说我们异想天开，年青一代可不想听这样灭我斗志的奇谈怪论，我们凭什么要在乎这些说我们异想天开的奇谈怪论?(掌声)
美国建国时只有13块殖民地。白人来这里殖民，他们靠税收发了横财，所以他们中有人站出来高喊“不自由，毋宁死”。我曾在密歇根州梅森的一所白人学校读过书，白人老师弄混了，让我读白人的历史书。他错误地教我说，帕特里克·亨利②是个爱国者，老亨利或乔治·华盛顿是非暴力主义者。“不自由，毋宁死”使美国白人摆脱了英国人的统治获得自由。(掌声)他们当时才不在乎说他们是异想天开。他们为什么要忍受整个大英帝国的暴怒?那时，他们常说大英帝国疆域辽阔，国力强大，是日不落帝国。可见它当时有多么强大。然而，13个贫穷的小州再也不能忍受自己没有税收权，不能忍受遭受剥削、压迫和侮辱，于是，就对大英帝国怒吼道：“不自由，毋宁死。”
今天，有2200万美国黑人比帕特里克·亨利时期所遭受的苦难更大。(掌声)我今天来到这里要提醒你们，你们拥有这个国家新一代黑人，他们不在乎任何异想天开，不想听戴着头巾的老汤姆叔叔老生常谈。是的，(掌声)这是新的一代，如果他们想把这些年轻的黑人征募到部队，派遣到韩国或南越面对8亿中国人，(掌声)如果你们不害怕他们这样做，那你们就不应该畏惧我们争取公民权的这些所谓的异想天开的行动。(掌声）
①美国小说《汤姆叔叔的小屋》中的主人公，他认为自己的奴隶身份是天生的、无法改变的，因此对奴隶主逆来顺受，最后被活活打死。
②1736．5．29——1799．6．6，美国革命时期的政治家，曾任弗吉尼亚州州长，他于1775年3月23日发表了《不自由，毋宁死》的著名演讲。
为什么说我们正处于爆炸性的政治时代?因为这是一个所有白人政客都想进入黑人社区的时代。在选举之前你们见不到他们的影子，找不到他们。选举的时候他们就突然冒了出来，(掌声)给我们虚假的承诺，让我们一次次地失望，这只能让事情越来越糟。
我不是政治家，甚至连学政治的学生都不是。我不是共和党人，也不是民主党人，甚至连一个美国人都不是。我太有自知自明了。(掌声)我是受民主党迫害的2200万黑人中的一员，(掌声)我是受共和党迫害的2200万黑人中的一员，我是受美国主义迫害的2200万黑人中的一员。(掌声)所以，当我演讲时，我不是以民主党人的身份演讲，不是以共和党人的身份演讲，也不是以美国人的身份演讲，而是以美国虚假民主受害者的身份演讲。我和你们从来就没见过民主，我们所看到的一切都是伪善。(掌声)
今天，当我们睁开双眼审视美国时，我们可不是用享受美国繁荣果实的目光看美国的，我们是用美国主义受害者的目光看美国的。我们没有看到任何美国梦①，我们经历的只是美国梦魇。(掌声)我们不但没有从美国民主那里得到任何好处，反而备受美国伪善的煎熬。我们的新一代能够看到这一切，敢于大胆说出真相。
如果你们去监狱，那是怎样的情景?如果你是黑人，你就会生在狱中。(掌声)如果你是黑人，你就会生在狱中，不管是北方还是南方都这样。②不要再说什么南方了，只要你们在加拿大边界南面，那你们都在南方。(掌声)
不要叫华莱士③是南方州的州长，也不要叫罗姆尼④是南方州的州长。(掌声)美国主义的2200万受害者正在觉醒，他们有了新的政治觉悟，在政治上成熟了，能够看清最近这些政治选举的本来面目。
①泛指在美国能够干自己想干的事情、并靠个人奋斗实现个人理想的追求。
②在林肯总统签署《解放黑奴宣言》前，法律允许南方州蓄奴。
③1919．8．25—1998．9．13，亚拉巴马州州长，参加了民主党1964年总统候选人提名的竞争。
④1907．7．8—1995．7．26，密歇根州州长，参加了共和党1964年总统候选人提名的竞争。
他们看清了：白人是如此均衡地分成两派，每次竞选投票时，票数总是如此接近，以至于他们必须回去重新计票。一个胶着的投票结果把一个少数族群推向战略位置。你们投谁的票，谁就能赢得选举。你们是打破平衡的砝码，你们决定着谁会步入白宫，谁会留在狗窝。(掌声)你们的力量太强大了，你们可以让约翰逊总统留在华盛顿，你们也可以把他送回到得克萨斯的棉花地。(掌声)是你们把肯尼迪送到华盛顿的，是你们在华盛顿建立现任民主党政府的。白人均衡地分成两派，你们中80％的人把票投给民主党，你们就把民主党送入白宫。情况就是这样。
当你们明白了这个道理，你们也就明白了美国黑人的投票在美国选举中的决定性作用了。虽然你们是选举的决定性力量，可你们又从中得到了什么呢?民主党之所以能够执政，这完全归功于美国黑人。他们执政4年来把所有立法都束之高阁。现在，他们又来拉拢你们。(掌声)现在，他们又来拉拢你们。你们首先考虑他们，可他们最后才考虑你们，因为你们是一群傻瓜，(掌声)一群政治呆子。在华盛顿，民主党在众议院占据着257个席位，而共和党只有177个席位；民主党在参议院拥有67个席位，而共和党只有33个席位。你们支持的党控制着众议院和参议院三分之二的席位，可他们还是不能兑现对你们的承诺，因为你们是一群傻瓜。(掌声)你们曾支持控制国会三分之二的政党，那个政党不能履行在竞选时对你们许下的诺言，如果你们装聋作哑，继续和那个党同流合污，那你们就不但是一群傻瓜，也背叛了你们的种族。(掌声)
那么，民主党会怎么辩解呢?他们会把球踢给州I权民主党①。你们过去是瞎子、聋子、哑巴、白痴，是政治上的小毛孩，但现在你们已经睁开了双眼，在政治上日趋成熟，你们能够为自己考虑，你们看明白了，州权民主党只不过是伪装的民主党。(掌声)
你们看看管理这个国家的政府机构，它被参议院的16个委员会和众议院的20个委员会所控制。在参议院的16个委员会中，有10个控制在南方分离主义者手中；在众议院的20个委员会中，有12个控制在南方分离主义者手中。(掌声)
今天的政府是分离主义者、种族主义者和白人至上主义者的政府，我们现在仍被他们捏在手心里。他们把自己伪装成州权民主党人．一个州I权民主党人除了是一个民主党人之外别无他是。民主党的领袖也是州I权民主党的头子，他们所有人的首领就坐在白宫里。(掌声)我一再对你们说：你们的总统只不过是一个来自得克萨斯州的南方分离主义者。(掌声)他们会在得克萨斯州诽谤你们，转而又来密西西比州I诽谤你们。(掌声)在得克萨斯州，他们用得克萨斯口音诽谤你们；在密西西比卅，他们则用密西西比腔调诽谤你们。仅此而已，别无二致。(掌声)
约翰逊这个白鬼大权在握后，他首先要做的是，邀请所有的黑人领袖喝咖啡，想给你们一个好印象。(掌声)那些汤姆叔叔们②可不想放弃喝咖啡的机会。(掌声)离开咖啡桌，他们就对我们说：约翰逊是个好人(掌声)因为他来自南方，(掌声)由于他来自南方，他就能够搞定南方。看看他们荒诞的逻辑。伊斯特兰③也来自南方，
① 该党成员多来自美国南方各州的白人，主张限制黑人的权利。
② 借喻马丁·路德·金等主张非暴力抗议的黑人领袖。
③1904-11 -28--1986-2-19 美国民主党人，联邦参议员，极力反对给黑人民权。
选他当总统呀?如果就因为约翰逊总统来自得克萨斯州，说他是个好人，认为他能处理好南方的事务，那么伊斯特兰会比约翰逊处理得更好。(掌声)所以我说，你们被误导了，你们上了他们设置的圈套，你们中计了。(掌声)
几个星期前我去了一趟华盛顿，①我亲眼见到一些参议员极力阻挠《民权法案》的通过。在参议院后面，我看到一张巨幅地图，上面标记着美国黑人对美国的贡献。令人不可思议的是，阻挠通过《民权法案》的参议员就是来自黑人最多的州。为什么他们要阻挠民权立法呢?因为民权立法是要保证那些州的黑人投票权，那些州的参议员和众议员知道，如果允许那些州的黑人投票，那些白人参议员就会落选。(掌声)那些白人众议员就要滚蛋。美国宪法规定：如果在某一地区人们的投票权遭到侵犯，那么根据宪法，来自这一地区的众议员就要被驱逐出众议院。现在，如果真执行宪法的这项特殊条款，那你们就不会有个白鬼总统了。(掌声)如果你们驱逐了州权民主党，那就意味着你们驱逐了民主党。你们剥夺了州权民主党的权力，你们也就是剥夺了民主党的权力。所以，既然民主党的势力基础建立在南方各州，那民主党怎么会在南方真心和你们站在一起呢?
北方的民主党人和南方的民主党人沆瀣一气，(掌声)他们在玩高级欺骗游戏，玩政治欺骗游戏。你们知道他们是怎么玩的。他们中的一个人来到你们中间，让你们相信他是为你们利益着想的；同时，他和另一个表面上反对你们的人勾结。
①1964年3月26日，马尔科姆去国会旁听关于《民权法案》的辩论。
为什么要这样做?因为他们两个都不会为你们的利益着想，但他们合伙欺骗你，让你在他们中间选一个。所以，这是个欺骗游戏。这些年来，他们一直在和我们玩这种游戏。
约翰逊继任总统后一走下飞机，①他所做的第一件事就是问“迪基在哪里?’’你们知道迪基是谁? 迪基是个南方老白鬼，他叫理查德·拉塞尔②。(掌声)大家看看吧，林登·约翰逊总统最要好的朋友就是带头阻挠民权立法的那个人。你们说，他究竟怎么成了约翰逊最好的朋友?(掌声)约翰逊是他的朋友，怎么可能同时又是你们的朋友呢?这绝对不可能。约翰逊老奸巨猾，他一面说是我们的朋友，一面又把老迪基作为朋友。(掌声)
只要我们让民主党执政，他们就会让州权民主党掌权。不是这样吗?投民主党的票，实际上就是投州权民主党的票。我知道，你们不喜欢我这样说，(掌声)可我来这里不是向你们拜年的，我来这里是告诉你们事实真相的。不管你们是否愿意听，我都要这么讲。(掌声)
在北方，你们所看到的是同样的事情。这里的民主党和南方的做法不一样，他们不那样做。他们想出个花招，为自己政党的利益不公正地划分选区。他们设诡计骗你们离开政治，即使你们投票，可他们早已内定好了，所以你们实际上谁的票也没投，(掌声)他们让你们空跑一趟。在南方，他们是贪婪的政治狼；在北方，他们是狡猾的政治狐狸。(掌声)狐狸和狼都是犬科动物，属于狗的家族。(掌声)那你们是选择一条北方的狗呢还是选择一条南方的狗?(掌声)我敢担保，不管你们选择哪条狗，你们仍然生活在狗窝里。(掌声)
这就是我为什么说它要么是选票，要么是子弹的原因。它要么是自由，要么是死亡；要么是让所有人自由，要么是让所有人没自由。(掌声)
①1963年11月22日，肯尼迪总统遇刺后，时任副总统的约翰逊在飞回白宫的飞机上宣誓就任美国总统。 ②1897．11．2—1971．1．21，美国民主党人，联邦参议员。
今天，美国发现自己有独特的情形。从历史上讲，革命意味着流血。是的，革命是流血。从来就没有过不流血的革命或者什么非暴力革命，这种革命就在好莱坞的电影上也未曾出现过。(掌声)你不可能在革命的时候去爱你的敌人，你不可能在革命的时候乞求剥削制度把你融入进去。革命就是推翻旧制度，革命就是毁灭IH带1]度。(掌声)
革命意味着流血，但在美国可以有个例外。我们可以让美国成为世界历史上唯一一个革命不需要流血的国家。俄国革命流血了，中国革命流血了，法国革命流血了，古巴革命流血了，再也没有比过去美国大革命更血腥的了。今天，美国可以发生不流血的革命，这很简单，她所要做的仅仅是给这个国家的黑人他们应该享有的一切。(掌声)
我希望白人能认识到这一点，如果他们不能认识到这一点，认识不到正被卷入某种没有取胜机会的运动，那他们就完了。我们什么也不在乎。他们有原子弹，但那起不了什么作用，因为其他国家也有原子弹。当两三个国家同时拥有原子弹时，谁也不敢使用它。所以，那就意味着今天的白人没有武器。如果他们想行动，只能回到现实中来，在现实中，黑人的力量比白人的力量要强大得多。(掌声)
我还要讲几分钟。白人永远不会赢得地球上的另一次战争。他们在战争中取胜、在地球上主宰一切的日子已经成为过去。这还需要我证明吗?好的。看看他们现在卷入地球上发生的所有战事，他们在哪里取得了胜利?哪里也没有。
为什么一些种水稻的农民把他们给赶出了朝鲜?(掌声)这些吃大米的人没有别的，仅凭一双胶鞋、一支步枪和一个饭碗就把他们这些用坦克、凝固汽油弹装备起来的部队赶回了三八线。为什么?因为他们在地球上赢得战争的日子一去不复返了。再看看法属印度支那，那些种水稻的身材矮小的农民迎战法国军队，把法国佬赶走了——你们一定记得奠边府①。(掌声)同样的事情也发生在非洲的阿尔及利亚。法国人拥有高端战争装备，可阿尔及利亚人除了一支步枪一无所有。但他们善于打游击战，可法国人打不了游击战，游击战需要胆量和勇气，那些白人可没这些。(掌声)他们在坦克里才有胆量，在飞机的掩护下才有勇气，在有炸弹开道时才敢冲锋，在和整个连队一起作战时才勇敢。再看看亚洲和非洲的那些小矮人，他们在森林里打游击就凭一把砍刀，(掌声)他们所需要的就是一把砍刀，等待太阳落山、夜幕降临——这是一回事。(掌声)
所以，它要么是选票，要么是子弹。今天，我们的人民能够认识到我们正面对着一个阴险毒辣的政府，这个政府背弃了我们。那些参议员阻挠通过关心我们权利的法案，那是这个政府的行为，不要说什么是南方参议员的捣乱。这是个强盗政府。在众议院或参议院发生的一切都是政府行为；任何拖延给我们全部公民权的举措都是政府预谋的；任何在这个法案上畏缩不前的状况都是政府策划的；任何反对给黑人全部公民权的行为都是政府导演的。这一切都应该由政府来负责。
如果你们发现这个政府卷入了侵犯人民公民权或人权的阴谋，你们到政府那里要求它改正错误，那简直是对牛弹琴。你们必须把这个政府告到国际法庭，控告它进行有计划的灭绝种族大屠杀以及它所犯下的所有罪行。(掌声)
①在1954年3月13日至5月7目的奠边府战役中，法军被击毙5000余人，被俘11000余人．损失飞机62架。
所以，我们当中那些认为政治、经济和社会观点是黑人民族主义的人已经融入民权斗争的洪流。我们已投身于这场民权斗争，我们要把这场斗争由争取民权扩大到争取人权上来。只要你们为民权而战，你们就必然会面临山姆大叔①的审判。可你们还到他的法庭上，希望他能改正错误。他是问题的制造者，他是罪犯。所以，你们不要把你们的案子带上法庭，而要把侵犯你们权利的罪犯带上法庭。(掌声)当南非政府践踏南非人民的人权时，人们将此事提交到联合国。当葡萄牙政府在安哥拉践踏我们兄弟姐妹的人权时，这个政府也被告上了联合国。看人家白人，甚至还把匈牙利问题②提交到联合国。就在这个星期，美国联邦最高法院大法官高柏格还在苏联为那里的300万犹太人的人权状况泣诉，指控苏联违反了联合国宪章，因为犹太人的人权在苏联遭到了践踏。
你们现在告诉我，如何才能把地球上每个人的状况提交到联合国。你们有2200万美国黑人，你们没有任何选择的余地，(掌声)你们的女儿被谋杀，你们的领袖在光天化日之下被杀害。现在你们告诉我，为什么争取民权斗争的领袖们从不把你们的问题提交到联合国。(掌声)
①美国独立战争期间，美国的财产都要印上“us”字样，这两个字母恰好是“Uncle Sam”的首写字母。1961年，美国国会通过一项议案，正式确认“山姆大叔”为美国的象征。
②在1956年6月28日的“波滋南事件”中，工人和军警发生了激烈冲突，造成53人死亡。323人被捕。 所以，我们下一步就要把所有民权斗争问题提交到联合国，(掌声)让全世界人民看清山姆大叔侵犯2200万美国黑人人权的罪行，可他还厚颜无耻地以自由世界的领导自居。(掌声)他不但是个骗子，还是个伪君子。就是这个山姆大叔，他刚从人们面前爬起来，双手沾满我们父母的鲜血，嘴角还滴着血，就像刚吃过猎物的狼。(掌声)可他还恬不知耻地对别的国家指手画脚。你们甚至连民权立法都没通过。可这位山姆大叔站在那里恬不知耻地谈南非、说德国，凭什么?我们不能让这一切重演。(掌声)
所以，我总结说，我们解决这个问题的唯一方法是：我们必须团结起来、互相协调、联合行动。黑人民族主义是我们的唯一出路。我们如何才能摆脱我们自己内部的互相攻击?一些人之所以存在错误倾向，是因为白人采取了分离和征服战略。他们分离我们是为了征服我们。他们挑拨离间，说我想黑人与白人分离，说你想黑人与白人融合，为的是让我们闹内讧。不，我不是想要分离，你也不是想要融合，我和你要的都是自由。(掌声)只是你认为融合能让你得到自由，而我认为分离能让我得到自由。我们两个的目标是一致的，只是选择到达目标的道路不同而已，但我们殊途同归。(掌声) 所以，我研究了鼓吹白人民族主义的比利·葛培理①。(掌声)他所鼓吹的就是白人民族主义。美国所有教会组织都属于白人民族主义。你们到白人的教堂看看，他们所宣扬的就是白人民族主义。耶稣是白人、玛利亚是白人、上帝也是白人、所有的人都是白人，那就是白人民族主义。(掌声)那么，白人通过什么方式围攻我们呢?是教会领导的妒忌心，他们来到哪个教区，哪个教区的你们就遭了殃，因为他们有个你们所说的辛迪加，就像专门干敲诈勒索勾当的无赖一样，他们也有个辛迪加。我要告诉你们，我一直在想，那些教士们已向你们证明他们建立起一个辛迪加。(掌声)当你逃脱了一个人的敲诈，会落入另一个人的魔爪，要知道，他们联手攻击你。(掌声)所以，对你来说，逃出了虎口，又进狼穴。 ①1918．11．7--，美国著名牧师，曾8次在总统就职仪式上带领祈祷。
那么，比利·葛培理是如何对付辛迪加的呢?为了不寄人篱下，就要创建个新教会，可他又吃不了这个苦，于是，就祈祷基督。他说，他在哪里都受到人们的信任，这样，他就帮助了所有的教会。由于他帮助了所有的教会，他们就不想和他争斗了。那么，我们可以做他做的事情，只是我们的福音是黑人民族主义，他的福音是白人民族主义。我已经讲过了，黑人民族主义的福音就是：你们应该控制你们自己，控制你们社区的政治，控制你们社区的经济，控制你们生活的整个社会。当你们认为这个观点能够解决你们的问题时，就加入宣传黑人民族主义思想的教会。千万不要加入宣传白人民族主义思想的教会。现在，你们走进一座黑人教堂，看到那里有白人玛利亚、有白人天使时，这个黑人教堂就是在宣传白人民族主义，你们不要加入那样的教会。(掌声)当你们走进一座教堂，看到这个教堂的牧师有个团结黑人、鼓舞黑人的观点和计划时，那么，你们就加入这个教会。(掌声)如果你们发现全国有色人种促进会在宣传、实行黑人民族主义，那你们就参加全国有色人种促进会。不管是民间的、宗教的、共济会的、政治的还是别的什么组织，所有提升黑人社会地位、让黑人在自己的社区当家作主的组织，你们都可以参加。(掌声)
要么是选票，要么是子弹；要么是自由，要么是死亡。如果你们没有做好为自由付出代价的准备，那就请你们不要妄谈“自由”这个字眼。(掌声)
①1892．3．26—1976．9．24，美国民主党人，联邦参议员。 最近，我在伊利诺伊州和保罗·道格拉斯①参议员共同研究了一个计划，叫他自由主义者也好，叫他民主党人也好，叫他白人也好，(掌声)他告诉我说：非洲人对美国黑人并不感兴趣。我知道他在撒谎。(掌声)过两三个星期，我计划到我们的非洲故乡去看看。①我希望，当我回来的时候能够对你们讲，我们的非洲兄弟姐妹们是如何看待我们的。(掌声)在我去之前我就相信，他们爱我们，我们和他们是一家人，是同一种族，这些年来奴役他们的人也在奴役我们。我们现在必须做的是：觉醒、团结、联合，这样做了我们就能够取胜。
我要感谢“现在自由党”，感谢米尔顿、理查德-亨利和克利哥教士邀请我今天下午来这里演讲。我想让他们知道，我能在任何时间、任何活动上与任何人共事，只要他真诚地想消灭与我们所有人对抗的政治、经济和社会上的邪恶势力，不管在底特律还是在其他什么地方，只要给我来个电话，我就会乘下一个航班赶到那里。(掌声)
①马尔科姆在1964年4月13日至5日21对非洲进行了访问。
|
名人演讲100篇之马尔科姆X：选票还是子弹TheBallotortheBullet
时间:2017-07-15 14:03来源:原著摘录 作者:马尔科姆X 点击:
次
马尔科姆X在美国一度是和马丁路德金并成为南慕容北乔峰的人物，他的演讲能力之高甚至超过金博士，而他传奇的人生最终也和金博士一样，39岁遇刺身亡。
顶一下
(3)
100%
踩一下
(0)
0%
您的支持是我们创造的最强动力
论功行赏，值多少就给多少
打开支付宝扫一扫，即可进行扫码打赏哦
- 上一篇：林肯的自学法：学以致用
- 下一篇：没有了
- 发表评论
-
- 最新评论 进入详细评论页>>