Malcom X speaks

Duration: 44

Year Published: 1971

Creator: Grove Press

Format: 16mm

Color: B&W

Sound: sound

Description: This documentary charts the rise of civil rights leader Malcolm X from his youth in Nebraska, his frenetic life in Boston and New York, and the pivotal prison term when he became acquainted with the Black Muslim teachings of Elijah Muhammad with its emphasis on Black pride. Malcolm X is seen at a number of demonstrations where he speaks about the need for blacks to attain complete autonomy from whites and take control of their own communities, schools and industries. Making a distinction between self-defense and violence in response to discrimination by whites, Malcolm X rejected the idea of racial integration with a race cruel enough to sick dogs on women, children and babies. The film examines the leader's break with the Nation of Islam, his journey to Africa and the Middle East and his assassination in 1965. Gil concludes the program by interviewing Malcom X's widow Betty Shabazz and his children.