The Black Man's Word

Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali on cover of Jet Magazine. Photo Credit: Vieilles Annonces

Nine days ago, the second day of black history month, I felt three tears fall down my face as Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” swelled from the TV speakers. The moment came as I watched one of the most impactful black films ever made, Malcolm X. I knew what was coming; Considering the film was almost over, I had learned his life and ultimately seen it before. Yet it was an involuntary response to a known ending.

In this second rewatch, I was considerably older and honestly more advanced in my thinking. I also had the pleasure of reading his speeches in my final semester. As the tears came down, I was having an epiphany, if you will, of the duality of power — to inspire and to instill fear — that comes from Black men’s words.

For the intellectual, their words put them in a position to tell the stories of our people. The Black American who has fought since the inception of the country just to be considered, respected and not killed for existing. Protest has taken many forms throughout history: jumping off ships, revolts, marches, sit-ins, public speeches, and literature. My area of expertise is the latter. There has always been a person who isn’t afraid to take up space in the most unapologetic way by using their words.

Considering there was a time where Black Americans fully believed the talking book concept — the idea that slave owners were being talked to by their books and that's why as a slave they were unable to read — to getting to a place where a black man, like James Baldwin is writing their own books to be read by all likes of people; There is an undeniable power that lies in that feat. When all odds are put against you, and you overcome them, you can inspire the next generation.

That’s unfortunately where the negative side of the power creeps in. It’s the power to influence and inspire that has always scared others to the point of violence. I believe it’s one of the saddest recurring events that happens in this country.

The reason I stated others was intentional. A majority of the violence towards the black man has come from the white man in this country. Yet, it doesn’t mean there haven’t been times where envy — not just envy but even an opposing view — took over a brother, thus sparking violence. Continuing with Mr. El-Shabazz — Malcolm had officially changed his name after his pilgrimage — this was the scenario of his assassination in 1965. He was gunned down by a former brother of his, a member of the Nation of Islam. Malcolm spent years rallying people to the nation's cause, mainly through his public appearances and addresses. His words were electric and, more importantly, compelling. The only reason they even got to such a level has to be credited to him. So, when he left and started his own mission, that was met with violence: death threats, setting his house on fire with him and his family inside, and finally his assassination.

Malcolm X has been gone from the world for 60 years, yet he still lives on. A legacy was left behind, and it’s written. Even though he only wrote one book, his autobiography, his speeches are timeless reads that can still reflect the Black American struggle in the US today.

Painting of Fred Hampton at STUDIO BE. Photo Credit Thomas Hawk

Another man who suffered the negative side of the power that comes with articulating ideas that run counter to the status quo was Fred Hampton. A true revolutionary who was constantly speaking up against the ways of the country. Especially by showing the intersectionality between racism and capitalism.

He was the deputy chairman of the National Black Panther Party. What makes this feat greater is that he was so young. He joined the Illinois chapter at the age of 20 in 1968, after being a member of the NAACP for the prior 2 years. The year before, at age 19, the FBI had already opened a case against him. The case and the increased pressure from officials stemmed from their fear of Hampton’s talent for communication.

By the end of 1969, it seemed they were finally fed up and decided to murder him. As they set up a raid that allowed a unit of 14 plain-clothed officers to go into his apartment and open fire on him, his security guard, and his wife. By the end of that night, Hampton was no longer with us.

It’s honestly disgusting, but that's the harsh reality of how this country has treated Black Americans in general, but especially the leaders. White America has always had this deep fear of black people, and it comes from a place of introspection. Let me explain, these people are responsible for a vast majority of the tragedies that have happened to people of color. From slavery to the civil rights movement and even still in the present day. There is an underlying evilness to the White Christian American, mostly due to the fact that most atrocities have been justified or connected to religion in pursuit of white nationalism. They know these things, and that's why they have projected this fear onto us.

James Baldwin framed it perfectly in an appearance on the Dick Cavett show in May of 1969. Just about 7 months before the assassination of Mr. Hampton.

“The public's reaction to combining the words Black and Power is a revealing insight into what the country has done with its power,” said Baldwin.

The basis of the discussion was why Black Americans still feel rather hopeless in this country, regardless of the small steps taken towards equality. That, after 400 years of mistreatment, these opportunities still result in black people facing racism. So much so that he even refers to integration as being “an accomplice to my own murder.” In this appearance, Baldwin spoke about the hypocrisy of America in many ways. Speaking on how white Americans have been revered for shouting “give me liberty or death,” yet when it comes from a black man, they are instantly marked as radical, a threat, or worse, un-American.

Baldwin was inspiring in a different way than the other two. His public appearances were more discussions and interviews, not necessarily speeches. Baldwin differed because he was a writer, and a creative one at that. As someone who was born during the late parts of legal segregation and lived well within the civil rights movement, he had a deep understanding of the racial issues in the country.

This would reflect in his writing as he wrote from varied perspectives, the oppressor and the oppressed. By doing this, he in part also attracted white readers to his work. The attraction was due to how accurately his writing painted the picture of this country. Someone who wasn’t telling half-truths but describing true experiences. Truths that made white readers reflect on their roles in these racial experiences across the country.

Nowadays, the black-and-white ability to tell the truth is lost on a society reliant on AI. On top of that, the country is run by an administration that thrives off of anti-intellectualism. From book banning to trying to dismantle the Department of Education; The historical truth has become labeled as woke or radical left propaganda. Especially when it comes to issues regarding people of color.

As someone who wants to make a living off his words, these men have inspired me to combat this in my own way. When I think of them, I see revolutionaries who have changed the country's dynamic. I find myself often wanting to be remembered in such a way. Yet with literacy rates dropping and attention spans shrinking, how realistic is that? Information is firing out so rapidly from the devices at our fingertips that there's little time taken to sit with ideas. It’s strange to see how the power of fully articulating our thoughts has dwindled over the last 70 years. Still, I choose to follow the path of those before me, focusing on using my words to inspire. Maybe that’s the mission, not exactly inspiring millions, but educating and impacting those that I can. It’d be disrespectful to those before me, who suffered for this power, to not use it to the best of my ability.