The Spirit of Malcolm X and Modern Day Resistance Against Global Imperialism

By Teresa Williams <t_sojourner@hotmail.com>, 19 May 2001

Malcolm X would have been 76 years old on May 19th of this year and as we take the time to commemorate his legacy, we should ask ourselves what has changed (or hasn’t changed) since his assassination in 1965? What would Malcolm have to say to us about the American agenda today?

As we sit here at the start of a new millennium, we can witness the continued cycles of exploitation within the American social context and the constant decay and Eurocentric gentrification of urban areas of color coupled with the lack of unity, political vision and economic justice for the marginalized masses. Consumerism has consumed the agendas of many people today to such a degree whereby they do not stop to examine the relationship between trade, politics and human rights. Many of us have become slaves to credit cards and cash and have stockpiled goods and clothing from countries that have questionable human and labor rights policies. Yet, we feel that we are doing these so-called developing and poor countries economic justice if our country imports their goods without stopping to think about how we too are being exploited as consumers.

What would Malcolm have to say to us about the American agenda of the 21st century if he were alive today? How would he interpret the current U.S.-China policies of consumerism, militarism and human rights contradictions? What would Malcolm say about the recent riots in Cincinnati and the ongoing patterns of racial profiling and police brutality on the streets of America today? How would he have addressed the rising privatization of the Prison Industrial Complex which is nothing short of hi-tech concentration camps for non-whites, the poor, the marginalized and resisters of the current imperialist system of oppression?

Living in the United States in the 21st century is a horrifying reality for people under siege in this country, countries that are being labeled as rogue nations and other countries which run the risk of being targeted for globalized economic expansion and modern slavery under the American Empire and/or for military exercises and mutually-assured destruction.

Those of us living within the U.S.A. exist within an imperialist state and reality and are thus responsible for unraveling this system’s modus operandi of divide, conquer, rule or destroy strategic tactics. What we are all witnessing today is the modern face of colonization and racist imperialist values at its pinnacle which clearly indicates that ours is a country and system that has not learned its lessons of the past. Ours is a system of government that does not care about the well being of all of its citizens and does not care about harnessing the potential of what this country could become as a diverse nation of individuals. Ours is a society that does not encourage communication and understanding across race, gender, class and cultures nor does it encourage a degree of critical thinking, analysis or interest in cultures outside of the United States. Thus, we find ourselves living the great white American lie of peace and justice, freedom and democracy whilst antagonizing people within our borders who do not mirror the wholesome values of being an American. Is it little wonder why the United States was recently kicked off of the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva? America has paraded and prostituted contradictions of human rights, democracy and freedom around the world for so long until, as Malcolm X so eloquently stated, the chickens have come home to roost. How could it be that modern day slavery and human trafficking exists in places such as Benin, Sudan, Southeast Asia and other countries under the noses of The World Bank, The International Monetary Fund and American corporations which are institutions of economic imperialism via development?

Many of us are sick and tired of being patronized as victims of the American Experiment and we are sick and tired of the cyclic madness of racism and imperialism that are deeply entrenched into the fabric of this society and around the world. We are sick and tired of the institutionalized policies of disenfranchisement that have been implemented over generations to keep the masses in line and we are sick and tired of working and paying taxes to hold this imperialist state of affairs together. Under this current Bush Administration and The U.S. Supreme Court, our liberties and freedom are seriously under siege and our domestic policies are only a reflection of the global agenda. The game has not changed. It has only transformed itself into a more deadly and larger game with an extensive hand of players from countries around the world who seek to outwit America’s economic and military hegemony while playing by rules of destruction and exploitation to win. No one can win this game of madness and not one of us can afford to idly sit back in silence without a revolutionary struggle to overcome this machine of death and destruction.

In closing, let us reflect upon this excerpt taken from one of Malcolm X’s speeches prior to his assassination which is just as relevant today in 2001 as it was in 1965:

Malcolm on Global Rebellion

I believe that there will ultimately be a clash between the oppressed and those that do the oppressing. I believe that there will be a clash between those who want freedom, justice and equality for everyone and those who want to continue the systems of exploitation... It is incorrect to classify the revolt of the Negro as simply a racial conflict of Black against white, or as a purely American problem. Rather we are today seeing a global rebellion of the oppressed against the oppressor, the exploited against the exploiter. (Malcolm X Speaks, pp. 232-233) January, 1965.

Happy Birthday Malcolm and [la] Luta Continua (The Struggle Continues).