American Rhetoric: Movie Speech

"Malcolm X" (1992)

Malcolm X: Press Conference on Black Nationalism and the Advent of Muslim Mosque, Inc.

Audio mp3 delivered by Denzel Washington

Malcolm X: Because 1964 threatens to be an explosive year on the racial front, I have called this press conference this morning in order to clarify my position in that struggle.

Internal differences within the Nation of Islam have forced me out of it.

In the past, I have thought the thoughts and I spoke the words of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. If you recall, everything I said I started off with, "The Honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches us..." thus and so.

That day is over.

From now on I speak my own words and I think my own thoughts.

Now that I have more independence of action, I intend to use a more flexible approach toward working with others to get a solution to this problem.

I'm not out to fight other negro leaders. As of this minute, I have forgotten every bad thing that other leaders have said about me, and I pray that they also forget the many bad things that I have said about them. We must work together. We must find a common solution to a common problem.

I'm going to organize and lead a new Mosque in New York City known as Muslim Mosque, Incorporated. This gives us the religious base and the spiritual force necessary to rid our people of the vices that destroy the moral fiber of our community.

Our political philosophy will be Black Nationalism, which means we want to control the politics of our community.

The Muslim Mosque, Incorporated will remain wide open for ideas and financial aid from all quarters.

Whites can help us, but they can't join us.

There can be no black-white unity until there's first some black unity.

We cannot think of uniting with others until we have first learned to unite amongst ourselves.

We cannot think of being acceptable to others until we have first proven acceptable to ourselves.