馬爾科姆·艾克斯于1925年出生在美國內布拉斯加州東部的奧馬哈市，少年時期是個不學無術的街頭混混，販毒、吸毒、濫交、搶劫、殺人幾乎無惡不作。終于自食惡果，被抓入監(jiān)獄。入獄后，他居然從看字典開始，學習了世界歷史，哲學，政治，自然科學等方面的知識，并參加了黑色穆斯林組織。出獄后，他投身黑人運動，成為聲望僅次于馬丁·路德·金的黑人運動領袖。
馬爾科姆原是穆斯林組織“伊斯蘭民族”的頭領，他到處發(fā)表演講，強調族裔對立，把什么事都往種族沖突上拉，煽動黑人對白人的仇恨。到后來他醒悟、放棄暴力、并和腐敗的教主進行抗衡，不再強調仇恨;而是追求黑人和白人之間的溝通、理解、博愛，但卻遭到自己原先效忠的組織的暗殺。宗教帶給他強大的力量，他所表現(xiàn)出的永遠是那么堅強、自信;他的言行舉止永遠顯示出他的火一般的激情和永不言敗的信念。他的生命充滿了斗爭與憤怒，但同時又涌動著熱情與博愛。馬爾科姆總能夠用犀利的語言，針針見血地擊中問題的要害。
此篇演講發(fā)表于1964年4月3日，此前的1964年3月，馬爾科姆與極端派的黑色穆斯林組織“伊斯蘭民族”決裂。此演講發(fā)表后短短10個月的 1965年2月21日，在曼哈頓奧特朋舞廳的一個報告會上，“伊斯蘭民族”組織派出的三名歹徒連開15槍殘忍地殺害了馬爾科姆。
It’ll be the the ballot or it’ll be the bullet. It’ll be liberty or it’ll be death. And if you’re not ready to pay that price don’t use the word freedom in your vocabulary.
是選票還是子彈。是自由還是死亡。如果你還沒有準備付出代價，那么就請不要說什么自由。
演講全文：The Ballot or the Bullet / Malcolm X
Mr. Moderator, Reverend Cleage, Brother Lomax, brothers and sisters, and friends and I see some enemies. In fact, I think we’d be fooling ourselves if we had an audience this large and didn’t realize that there were some enemies present.
This afternoon we want to talk about the ballot or the bullet. The ballot or the bullet explains itself. But before we get into it, since this is the year of the ballot or the bullet, I would like to clarify some things that refer to me personally -- concerning my own personal position.
I’m still a Muslim. That is, my religion is still Islam. My religion is still Islam. I still credit Mr. Mohammed for what I know and what I am. He’s the one who opened my eyes. At present, I’m the Minister of the newly founded Muslim Mosque, Incorporated which has its offices in the Teresa Hotel, right in the heart of Harlem -- that’s the black belt in New York city. And when we realize that Adam Clayton Powell is a Christian minister, he’s the -- he heads Abyssinian Baptist Church, but at the same time, he’s more famous for his political struggling.
And Dr. King is a Christian Minister, in Atlanta – or from Atlanta Georgia -- or in Atlanta, Georgia, but he’s become more famous for being involved in the civil rights struggle. There’s another in New York, Reverend Galamison -- I don’t know if you’ve heard of him out here – he’s a Christian Minister from Brooklyn, but has become famous for his fight against a segregated school system in Brooklyn. Reverend Clee, right here, is a Christian Minister, here in Detroit. He’s the head of the “Freedom Now Party.”
All of these are Christian Ministers -- All of these are Christian Ministers, but they don’t come to us as Christian Ministers. They come to us as fighters in some other category.
I’m a Muslim minister -- the same as they are Christian Ministers -- I’m a Muslim minister. And I don’t believe in fighting today in any one front, but on all fronts.
In fact, I’m a black Nationalist Freedom Fighter.
Islam is my religion, but I believe my religion is my personal business. It governs my personal life, my personal morals. And my religious philosophy is personal between me and the God in whom I believe; just as the religious philosophy of these others is between them and the God in whom they believe.
And this is best this way. Were we to come out here discussing religion, we’d have too many differences from the outstart and we could never get together. So today, though Islam is my religious philosophy, my political, economic, and social philosophy is Black Nationalism. You and I -- As I say, if we bring up religion we’ll have differences; we’ll have arguments; and we’ll never be able to get together. But if we keep our religion at home, keep our religion in the closet, keep our religion between ourselves and our God, but when we come out here, we have a fight that’s common to all of us against a [sic] enemy who is common to all of us.
The political philosophy of Black Nationalism only means that the black man should control the politics and the politicians in his own community. The -- The time -- The time when white people can come in our community and get us to vote for them so that they can be our political leaders and tell us what to do and what not to do is long gone.
By the same token, the time when that same white man, knowing that your eyes are too far open, can send another negro into the community and get you and me to support him so he can use him to lead us astray -- those days are long gone too.
The political philosophy of Black Nationalism only means that if you and I are going to live in a Black community -- and that’s where we’re going to live, cause as soon as you move into one of their -- soon as you move out of the Black community into their community, it’s mixed for a period of time, but they’re gone and you’re right there all by yourself again.
We must -- We must understand the politics of our community and we must know what politics is supposed to produce. We must know what part politics play in our lives. And until we become politically mature we will always be mislead, lead astray, or deceived or maneuvered into supporting someone politically who doesn’t have the good of our community at heart.
