Growing up, I was always scared of the dark. As I entered school and other arenas of mainstream society, the fear of the dark became fear of men in the dark. Somewhere in the past four or five years I learned to basically overcome that -- to enjoy walking alone in the dark.
As of a few days ago, I am told I must not do that. I must not go where I want to go, how I want to go, when I want to go. A woman was beaten a few nights ago at 1:30 am on our campus by a young man. A young black man. All of a sudden, I'm supposed to be scared, and am, with what I believe is good reason. But you see, it's the description that makes my fear even worse. There's a manhunt out for another young black man, short and stocky. When he, or whoever the Justice System finds to fit that description, is caught, the violence that was committed against our fellow female student will not be "justly punished," but will be multiplied. She will never be able to reverse the immense violence done to her, he will in all likelihood, like 33percent of all young black men, never be able to get out of the violent web of our Justice System. Because of the history of our country (in which I include the past, present, and with undeniable certainty, the future), that never abolished slavery in prisons, that is racist in its laws and even more so in its practices, that does not provide adequate legal rights to people without money, and has for its fastest growing industry private prisons (which are slave institutions disproportionately made up of young black men, young black women, and more generally low-income people), we can't simply sit back and cheer when this truly dangerous person is taken to prison.
What I'm scared of is the fact that right now, there is no alternative. If I were beaten that badly by anyone, black, white, green, whatever, I would not feel safe unless that person were locked off the streets. At the same time, to put a young black man (who is statistically unlikely to have a lot of money), into the hands of the justice system would be placing him in a situation where he will undergo slow violence for quite possibly the rest of his life. The violence is done not only to him, but to the rest of our society, particularly those marked at birth for probable abuse at the hands of the law.
We're not given many alternatives in dealing with a situation like this. But I don't feel it's acceptable to be angry and scared by the fate of one victim (who was victimized illegally), and not be angry and scared at the fate of another (who will be victimized legally). I believe we have a responsibility to recognize the whole story, not just the beginning, and to recognize its place in history.
The media and the justice system do a good job of keeping us from thinking this way, and it therefore feels like a very unnatural response, to sympathize with a criminal. But think of the power of the statement if we, personally or potentially victimized, were to make it clear to the court that if this man's life is ruined by the justice system with no attempt for his rehabilitation, he will be the victim, and the justice system will be the criminal. We need to say and believe this person is human, and he needs help and rehabilitation -- we don't want him on the streets right now, but we're not out for his blood or the fruits of his slave labor.
In the meantime, let's all be careful walking around at night, as well as making clear our empathy for the woman who was beaten.
February is Black History month. What can we learn from the heroic struggle of black people against racism and exploitation over the past 500 years in the racist USA? One of the shining lights of that struggle is the life and legacy of Malcolm X - an incorruptible and uncompromising revolutionary. This article attempts to sketch out some of the lessons that workers and young people today need to learn from Malcolm's example, if we are to successfully finish the struggle he began - to end all forms of oppression.
Thirty three years ago, on February 21, 1965 Malcolm X was gunned down for his political beliefs. The racist state, the two parties of big business, and many of their "friends" in the black community let out a huge sigh of relief. Compare the attitude of big business and its politicians toward Malcolm and today's supposed black "leaders." The ruling class feared Malcolm because of his intransigence, his preparedness to challenge the entire system of capitalism in order to end racism, marked him out as a revolutionary, and as such, a threat which had to be snuffed out. Yet the flame of Malcolm's example lives on. History shows over and over that revolutionary ideas can not be silenced.
In the last year of his life after he split from the Nation of Islam, Malcolm's views changed drastically. Every aspect of his outlook and philosophy he began to be re-examine. It was in this period that Malcolm came to see capitalism as the main enemy in the fight against racism, and was moving in the direction of seeing socialism as the solution. Malcolm said "You can't have capitalism without racism" and "You show me a capitalist, I'll show you a bloodsucker." He explained: "I believe that there will ultimately be a clash between the oppressed and those who 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. I believe that there will be that kind of clash, but I don't think it will be based upon the color of skin." and also "It is incorrect to classify the revolt of the Negro as simply a radical 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 started from the needs and aspirations of the black masses. His uncompromising attitude in the fight against racism, for a decent standard of living for Afro-Americans, led him to clash with capitalism. This is counterposed to the "realistic" leaders who put the needs and expectations of capitalism first by confining the fight within the boundaries of what is acceptable by big business, i.e. their profit margins, and through their political representatives in the Democratic party. In clear and devastating language Malcolm predicted the course of today's black politicians referring to those black leaders who were "eating high on the hog, rubbing elbows with white folks, sitting in Washington, D.C., the masses of Black people in this country remain unemployed, and the masses of Black people in this country continue to go to the worst schools and get the worst education."
Malcolm clearly understood the Democratic party, tied hand and foot to the ruling class, does not, and never would be able to advance the interests of blacks, or workers. In September 1964, Malcolm almost cut short his tour of Africa in order to return to the US and run as the Michigan Freedom Now Party's (a militant black party) candidate for the U.S. Senate. Throughout his last year, Malcolm's stated purpose was to launch an independent, militant, black party. Malcolm was murdered before this project came to fruition, but his perspective was confirmed only a year later, with the formation of the Black Panther Party, which represented the highest point in the black revolt. Today it is the socialists who stand on the ideas of Malcolm X in relation to the Democratic Party. Socialists argue that we need to build an independent movement of the oppressed, and out of that a political party of the working class which stands independently on the interests and aspiration of workers.
Malcolm's method was to base oneself on the interests of the oppressed, and their willingness to struggle. He believed that the only way to overcome the resistance of the ruling class, was building a independent, intransigent, militant movement that would be willing to wage the struggle by any means necessary. On the other hand there are those who base themselves on the limitations of capitalism, on what is "realistic" from the point of view of the system, and are willing to compromise on their program and demands.
The accumulated anger of Afro-Americans and workers that is building below the surface of US society will explode in the coming period. When it does, hundreds and thousands of young blacks, and young people in general, will seek a revolutionary way forward as they draw lessons from the struggle itself. The example, legacy, ideas and lessons of Malcolm X will shine as a bright beacon to those struggling to discover a way forward. They will be inspired by and follow the example of his intransigence and courage. The only proper way to respect and honor Malcolm, and the thousands who struggled with him for human dignity, is to seriously learn from their example, and take up the struggle where they left off.
Copyright © 1998, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 126, Number 14, February 13, 1998
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