Chapters 17, 18, & 19

Summary (continued)

Malcolm comments on the racial unrest prevailing during this time. Some media persons and experts described this unrest as a revolution. Malcolm disagreed. According to him a Revolution is when there is a complete overturn of society. The racial troubles in U.S. were not an attempt to overthrow the present system but a demand to be accepted into it.

Malcolm visits Africa once again in 1964. Details about this trip are not given. Rather, Malcolm recalls meeting a government agent, a Jew who had been sent to follow him. Here he states that the Jews have always been persecuted. But in the U.S. Jews have been saved because all the hatred has been directed towards the blacks. If the blacks had not been in the U.S., the Jews would not have enjoyed the freedom they have now in the U.S.

During the last days of his life, Malcolm is constantly aware of the threat to his life. However, he is not disturbed at the thought of violent or sudden death. His uncle and his father both met a violent death. He knew that he too would die someday in a similar fashion. Even during his hustling days, he knew he could die any moment. So he was prepared to meet his death.

Finally, he states that the purpose of his book is not to titillate his readers with details of his past; but to show the average black in the Ghettos that it is possible to rise out of the horrendous conditions, he has been pushed into. Just as Malcolm had changed from a street-smart hustler to the fame he had achieved now; other blacks too could change. The book would be able to give them courage and direction in their struggle for a better and just society. It will serve as a beacon in their search for human dignity and respect.

Besides the book would help clear various misconceptions about him, his ideas which had not always been portrayed in the press correctly. Further, the book would give Americans an idea of the life in the Ghettos, and explain why slogans like: 'White men are devils' seems attractive to the average black on the streets.

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