"The Ballot or the Bullet"

            “The Ballot or the Bullet,” is Malcolm X’s speech from 1964. The year 1964 was an election year, and thus, Malcolm X’s speech calls for black community awareness of the importance of their votes. He emphasizes that his preaching is not anti-white, but rather anti-oppression and anti-exploitation.

            Malcom’s speech is that of a man who is tired of injustices, and his language is that of a common man; a common man who does not consider himself American. “Sitting on a table doesn’t make you a diner, unless you eat some of what’s on the plate. Being here in America doesn’t make you an American” (2). To be an American, a black man should have been able to enjoy everything that America had to offer, and they did not. He finds himself a “victim of Americanism,” a “victim of democracy,” which he describes as “disguised hypocrisy” (3).

            Malcolm X’s speech played an important role for the Civil Rights Movements. It was a call for black unity to fight and finally overcome the white imperialism. He referred to 1964 as the year to become “more politically mature and realize what the ballot is for” (6).  To him, there is only two ways out of this inequality, “the ballot or the bullet.” Therefore, he sees the 1964 election as the breaking point for inequality, and thus, he rises up to Black Nationalism.

            Black Nationalism is, to Malcolm X, a way to express, “Give it to us now. Don’t wait for next year. Give it to us yesterday, and that’s not fast enough” (8). He describes oppression as a crime, because it is prohibiting a person to fully own what belongs to him/her. He asks the black community to demand for what is theirs, through nonviolent actions, “nonviolent as long as the enemy is nonviolent” (15).

            Finally, he reassures that there are only two ways out, and thus, black unity is necessary in order to achieve integration. He advocates partnership with entities that preach Black Nationalism. He calls for awareness and participation because it is the only way that blacks will overcome. “It’ll be the ballot or the bullet. It’ll be liberty or it’ll be death” (14).

M.A.