We must know what politics play in our lives. And we must know what politics is supposed to produce. We must understand the politics of our community. 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 were going to live… because 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. 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.īy 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 the black man should control the politics and the politicians in his own community. 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 enemy who is common to all of us. So, today? Though Islam is my religious philosophy, my political, economic, and social philosophy is Black Nationalism.Īs I say, if we bring up religion? We’ll have differences, we’ll have arguments, and we’ll never be able to get together.
Were we to come out here discussing religion? We’d have too many differences from the out start, and we could never get together. Just as the religious philosophy of these others is between them and the God in whom they believe. My religious philosophy is personal between me and the God in whom I believe. It governs my personal life and my personal morals. Islam is my religion, but I believe my religion is my personal business. In fact, I’m a Black Nationalist Freedom Fighter. And I don’t believe in fighting today in any one front, but on all fronts. The same as they are Christian ministers, I’m a Muslim minister. They come to us as fighters in some other category. All of these are Christian ministers, but they don’t come to us as Christian ministers. He’s a Christian minister here in Detroit. He’s a Christian minister from Brooklyn, but has become famous for his fight against a segregated school system in Brooklyn. There’s another in New York, Reverend Galamison… I don’t know if you’ve heard of him out here. King is a Christian minister from Atlanta, Georgia, or in Atlanta, Georgia, but he’s become more famous for being involved in the civil rights struggle. But at the same time, he’s more famous for his political struggle. When we realize that Adam Clayton Powell is a Christian minister, he heads Abyssinian Baptist Church. He’s the one who opened my eyes.Īt present, I’m the minister of newly founded Muslim Mosque, Incorporated, which has its offices in the Teresa Hotel, right in the heart of Harlem. 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. The ballot or the bullet explains itself. This afternoon, we want to talk about the ballot or the bullet. 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. Moderator, Reverend Cleage, brothers and sisters, and friends, and I see some enemies.