Malcolm X on the 'House Negro' and the 'Field Negro'

Malcolm X, then the national representative and minister of Muhammad's Mosque No. 7, New York, of Elijah Muhammad's "race"-centered Nation of Islam (NOI), addressing a public rally in front of "Professer" Lewis H. Michaux's National Memorial African Bookstore, Harlem, May 13, 1961.

HARLEM/AFRICAN SQUARE

The bookstore, which specialized in books by and about "black" people, was located at 2107 7th Ave., near 125th Street, an intersection known as "Harlem Square," but dubbed "African Square" by black nationalists like Michaux, who identified with Africa and advocated self-determination for African Americans.

The store was "highly regarded by scholars and librarians for its comprehensive collection of literature on black and African history and culture" and was "an unofficial cultural center and gathering place for scholars, street-corner orators, politicians and browsers" ("50-year-old bookstore to close in Harlem," The Afro-American [Baltimore], Dec. 14, 1974, p. 8).

As Peter Goldman, Malcolm X's best biographer, noted, "from spring to fall the sidewalk nationalists with hip-pocket organizations rain[ed] abuse on whitey and anyone of whatever color who serves him. Malcolm's own sidewalk rallies ... were rather more formal affairs, dressed up with bunting, placards and platform guests and wired for sound" (Peter Goldman, "The Death and Life of Malcolm X," 2d ed. [Urbana: U of Illinois P, 1973, 1979], p. 53).

The large sign at left features portraits of 12 "African Chiefs of States" from Ethiopia, Liberia, Egypt, Sudan, Ghana, Guinea, Cameroon, Togoland (now Togo), Congo (Leopoldville, now Kinshasa), Somalia, Nigeria and East Nigeria (the latter two are one nation). Only the last six could be seen in this video. With the exceptions of Egypt, Ethiopia and Liberia, these nations had recently obtain their political independence from British and European colonial domination.

The sign to the right of Malcolm X is for the Washington Business Institute, established in 1910, a well-known community institution that offered a wide variety of business training courses and vocational guidance.

At right is the west side of the popular Herbert's, The Home of Blue White Diamonds jewelry store, the front of which faced 125th Street. Herbert S. Sergison established the store in 1907 and opened the Harlem branch in the 1920s.

RALLY

Temple No. 7 promoted the rally in Harlem's weekly "New York Amsterdam News." "Top Negro leaders have been challenged by the followers of Elijah Muhammad to attend and address a mammoth six hour outdoor rally. ... The rally will be the second annual 'Freedom Rally'...," the NOI's news release announced.

Invited guests (none of whom attended) were Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) president; Thurgood Marshall, NAACP chief counsel (and later a U. S. Supreme Court justice); the Rev. Dr. Gardner C. Taylor, Concord Baptist church, Brooklyn; and Roy Wilkins, NAACP executive secretary ("Muslims Hold Second 'Freedom Rally' May 13," New York Amsterdam News, May 6, 1961, p. 8).

PLATFORM

Seated behind Malcolm X at the rally are three NOI ministers (from left): James 3X Shabazz (formerly McGregor), Muhammad's Temple of Islam No. 25, Newark, N. J.; Thomas J. X. (formerly Ridges), Temples No. 13 and 14, Springfield, Mass., and Hartford, Conn., respectively; and Louis X (formerly Walcott), Temple No. 11, Boston. The latter is now known as Louis Farrakhan.

Two days before the rally, an "Amsterdam News" columnist noted: "Police increasing their detail for the Muslims rally Saturday" (Jimmy Booker, "Uptown Lowdown," Ibid., May 13, 1961, p. 13). However, the police weren't necessary because the rally was guarded by the Fruit of Islam (FOI), the NOI's security force, which was composed of adult male members, who could be seen on "post" in front of the platform.

Most of the partially obscured sign in front of the platform reads: "LISTEN TO MR. Elijah MUHAMMAD SUNDAY ON RADIO WBNX-1380. ..."

The Harlem/African Square corner, including the bookstore, business institute and jewelry store, was razed in 1968 to make way for the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building, named in honor of the legendary pastor of Harlem's historic Abyssinian Baptist church and longtime congressman. Former President Bill Clinton has his office in this building.

For a fuller exposition of Malcolm X's "The House Negro and the Field Negro," see and listen to his "Message to the Grass Roots," his speech at the Northern Negro Grass Roots Leadership Conference, King Solomon Baptist church, Detroit, Nov. 10, 1963, which could be found on the American Rhetoric Web site:

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/malcolmxgrassroots.htm

(NBC Video courtesy ThoughtEqulity.com.)

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Malcolm X
• House Negro
• Field Negro
• Nation of Islam
• Elijah Muhammad
• Lewis H. Michaux
• Louis Farrakhan
• Harlem

[pauldarwinlee]

So far as I know, the entire speech was not filmed. We're fortunate to have portions of it.

I have the honor to be

Cordial-Lee yours,

Paul Lee, Channel Moderator

[pauldarwinlee]

Dear "trolljanhorse,"

See the last sentence in the full (pull down) description of the video. I have the honor to be

Cordial-Lee yours,

Paul Lee, channel moderator

[pauldarwinlee]

Malcolm X said that he didn't leave Elijah Muhammad's Nation of Islam, but rather that he was FORCED out of it, and this was BEFORE he made his pilgrimage to the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

[pauldarwinlee]

Thank you, Mama Misha & Bro. Doug. However, I must respectfully disagree with Doug's comment that I'm the "true scholar" on Malcolm X--or anyone/thing else. Nor am I the "Only" one who could've placed the video in context.

Best Efforts, Inc., our professional research and consulting service, would not like other scholars to "step aside." Instead, we hope to set a standard of scholarly rigor that they might find worthy of consideration, as well as benefit our readers.

Brother-Lee yours,

Paul

[MwariamaKamau]

Thank you Brother Paul. This rare clip coupled with extraordinary contextualization helps expand my appreciation for the miracle of Brother Malcolm X. You leave your audience without a question to ask. Keep up the excellent work; your students are watching.

Peace

[TruthSeeker24]

. When Malcolm said field Negro, he's talking about a grassroots, black person concerned about helping his people, especially in poorer community (not a thug or a nihilisit). It just so happens that many field blacks are in the poor areas. House negroes are worst since they have access to opportunities and sometimes refuse to help our their own people ought of fear and misunderstanding. They are a disgrace. Many of theHouseNegroes embrace white supremacistculture.

[ronpaulraps]

I want to see the whole speech. Herman Cain need to see this clip

[watchMEshyne]

i like malcom but this speech created division in the black community. He basically wanted black people to HATE other black people

[watchMEshyne]

Bottem line is , field negros turned out to be worst than house negros. and it was the field negros who killed him in the end. he glorified feild negro culture, and today because of it thugs are more respected in the community than educated well spoken black men. WE HAVE TO SEPARATE

[Originalman320]

@CocoaBrownSkinLady Stevie Wonder can see the good that the Hon. Elijah Muhammad did, and he's blind. Those that heard the word from the Hon. Elijah Muhammad cleaned themselves up. The fact that Islam has a root in the Black community is due to the work of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad. The fact that you have Malcolm shows the good that the Hon. Elijah Muhammad did. Until you have something of substance, you have nothing to talk about.

[CocoaBrownSkinLady]

@Originalman320 I don't see anything good that Elijah Muhammad did. Even his son renounced his ridiculous made-up beliefs and accepted the one True God, Who beget not, nor was He begotten and there is none like unto Him, as the Qur'an al-Hakim says. Wallace Ford came out of his WHITE mother's vagina just as Jesus came out of one, therefore NEITHER of them were God.

[Originalman320]

@CocoaBrownSkinLady There's nothning nonsensical about it.  By the way I see no so called "orthodox" Muslim do what the Hon. Elijah Muhammad has done in remedying the ills of our people. Until you name ONE that has matched, much less surpassed him, you can't tell me a damn thing.

[CocoaBrownSkinLady]

@Originalman320 Muslims believe that the Qur'an was sent as a mercy for mankind and that the basics of creation were described in it. All of the 'Yaqub' nonsense isn't there because it has nothing to do with creation, it was made up by your biracial leader. Something as important as creation, where evil comes from and how we should deal with evil are ALL covered in the Quran and the Sunnah. Your ridiculous cult has no place in either because it's made up and has nothing to do with Islam.

[Originalman320]

@CocoaBrownSkinLady You know the Qur'an doesn't have the history of everything in it. Second of all it wasn't for Muhammad of 1400 years ago to expose the evil of this world at the root. The ridiculous nonsense is coming from you. Now unlike you, I actually have a life beyond Youtube. You need to get one.