Meetings nationwide commemorate Malcolm X's life

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"X" to their lapel. It includes try.) Mosque, Inc. and before be set up the Organization of radical change-that is, a revolution.

Second, speaking as a "realist," he explains, America become more internationalist, as Malcolm did, as they This speech includes Malcolm's most succinct expla- is a racist society. And for it to change, Blacks as an see our fight for full equality as part of the worldwide nation of "Black nationalism." After his trips abroad, he oppressed and discriminated people must be indepen- struggle for freedom. dropped use of that phrase, while keeping the essence of dently organized as Blacks.

That s why Malcolm organızed the Organization c alliance with other oppressed and exploited working Five days before he was assassinated, Malcolm spoke tro-American Unity OAAU was tormed. Its au people, is bound to arise and fight until full equality is in Rochester, N.Y. In that speech [reprinted in "Mal- Malcolm said, was to organize all Blacks-whatever won. This final victory over discrimination will be colm X: The Last Speeches," Pathfinder Press] he their religious or other beliefs-into a common group achieved only with the establishment of a workers' govoutlined some of his thinking on the struggle for free- to win freedom now. dom. He explained that the struggle of Afro-Americans The Muslim Mosque, Inc. was set up, he said, for begin to take the necessary steps to eradicate racism, could not be seen any more as simply an American those who supported orthodox Islam. But the OAAU implement affirmative action, and grant self-determinaproblem. It must be placed in its international context was secular so it could carry out political action, to lead tion to Blacks. 18 SOCIALIST ACTION MARCH 1992 Interest in the life and ideas of Malcolm X is growing. This is shown by the enthusiastic response to forums about Malcolm that took place last month in four cities.

On Feb. 25, Socialist Action staff writer Malik Miah spoke to some 200 people in Baltimore. The audience at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, (UMBC), campus was made up predominately of Black students, with several community organizations in attendance as well. The discussion was lively, stretching over three hours and touching on many questions of tactics and strategy in the Black freedom struggle.

Malik Miah was also one of the speakers at a Socialist Action forum in San Francisco on Feb. 21—the 27th anniversary of Malcolm's assassination. (Portions of Miah's speech are reprinted on this page.)

About 110 people jammed into the Socialist Action Bookstore for the event, which was highlighted by actor Michael Lange's rendition of the famous "Ballet or the Bullet" speech orginally delivered by Malcolm X on April 3, 1964. The San Francisco program was chaired and introduced by Kwame Somburu, a founding member of Malcolm X's Organization of Afro-American Unity.

On Feb. 25, over 60 people, mainly from the Black and Puerto Rican communities, attended a Socialist Action forum in Chicago. Socialist Action member Ken Miliner summarized the lessons of Malcolm's ideas and activities, and the Gil Noble documentary film, "El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz—-Malcolm X," was shown.

In Boston, on the same evening, well over Schomburg Conter 100 people crowded into the African American Institute at Northeaster University to view "El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz" and to hear speakers from South Africa, Haiti, the Nation of Islam, and the Tahan Jones/Erik Larsen Defense Committee. The meeting was sponsored by the Defense Committee and dedicated to the defense of Jones and other Gulf War resisters.

Chris Nteta, a long-time supporter of the Black Consciousness Movement in South Africa, chaired the meeting. He stressed that the struggle in South Africa is tied up with the struggle in the United States, Haiti, and elsewhere-and that all of these struggles owe a debt to Malcolm X and the ideas that he implanted.

Guy Laurent, of the Faiti Communications Project, told the meeting that Malcolm "always represented something real" to him because Haitians are living under the gun. The philosophy of "turning the other cheek," he said, has played a role in perpetrating the oppression of the Haitian people.

Minister Rodney X, of the Nation of Islam Mosque #11, traced Malcolm's history before and after leaving the Nation. He said that, in view of his growing understanding of the government's role in dividing the movement, Malcolm tried to reach an understanding with the Honorable Elijah Muhammed.

Minister Rodney told the meeting, "it is a damn lie" that the Nation of Islam killed Malcolm. He asserted that the same enemy who instigated Malcolm's murder sought to blame it on the Nation, and he left no doubt who that was-the U.S. government.

W.I. Mohareb, Richard Hill, and Vinnie Longo contributed to this report.