America has a very serious problem. Not only does America have a very serious problem, but our people have a very serious problem. America's problem … - Malcolm X

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Engraved portrait of Malcolm X, facing left

America has a very serious problem. Not only does America have a very serious problem, but our people have a very serious problem. America's problem is us. We're her problem. The only reason she has a problem is she doesn't want us here.

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About Malcolm X

El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, or Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little (19 May 1925 – 21 February 1965) was an American Muslim minister and a human rights activist. For many years, he was a major proponent of the Nation of Islam, espousing black supremacy, the separation of black and white Americans, and scoffing at the civil rights movement's emphasis on racial integration. By March 1964, he had grown disillusioned with the Nation of Islam and ultimately repudiated its teachings, embracing Sunni Islam; while continuing to emphasize Pan-Africanism, black self-determination, and black self-defense, disavowing racism. In February 1965, he was assassinated by three men, all of whom were affiliated with the Nation of Islam. The Autobiography of Malcolm X, published shortly after his death, is considered one of the most influential non-fiction books of the 20th century.

Biography information from Wikiquote · Portrait adapted from Wikimedia Commons, Marion S. Trikosko (Public domain / CC0)

Also Known As

Pen Names: Malachi Shabazz
Birth Name: Malcolm Little
Alternative Names: El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz Malcolm Shabazz Malik El-Shabazz

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Additional quotes by Malcolm X

إن الرجل الأبيض لايعرف كيف يضحك. إنه فقط يبدي أسنانه, أما نحن فإننا نعرف كيف نضحك . نحن تنبع الضحكة من أعمق أعماقنا

The philosophy of black nationalism involves a re-education program in the black community in regards to economics. Our people have to be made to see that any time you take your dollar out of your community and spend it in a community where you don't live, the community where you live will get poorer and poorer, and the community where you spend your money will get richer and richer. [...] If we own the stores, if we operate the businesses, if we try and establish some industry in our own community, then we're developing to the position where we are creating employment for our own kind. Once you gain control of the economy of your own community, then you don't have to picket and boycott and beg some cracker downtown for a job in his business.

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It’s a crime, the lie that has been told to generations of black men and white men both. Little innocent black children, born of parents who believed that their race had no history. Little black children seeing, before they could talk, that their parents considered themselves inferior. Innocent black children growing up, living out their lives, dying of old age — and all of their lives ashamed of being black. But the truth is pouring out of the bag now.

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