Message to the Grass Roots

"Message to the Grass Roots" is a public speech delivered by black civil rights activist Malcolm X.

The speech was delivered on November 10, 1963, at the Northern Negro Grass Roots Leadership Conference, which was held at King Solomon Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan.

[2] Malcolm X began his speech by emphasizing the common experience of all African Americans, regardless of their religious or political beliefs: What you and I need to do is learn to forget our differences.

[4] Malcolm X described the Bandung Conference of 1955, at which representatives of Asian and African nations met to discuss their common enemy: Europeans.

The field Negro lived in a shack, wore raggedy clothes, and ate chittlins.

The modern house Negro, he said, was always interested in living or working among white people and bragging about being the only African American in his neighborhood or on his job.

Malcolm X described how white philanthropist Stephen Currier called a meeting in New York to set up the Council for United Civil Rights Leadership, which provided money and public relations for the Big Six leaders, who took control over the March.

A few weeks after delivering the speech, Elijah Muhammad, the Nation's leader, silenced Malcolm X for comments he made with respect to the assassination of President Kennedy.

[14] In some ways, "Message to the Grass Roots" can be viewed as a sign of Malcolm X's impending separation from the Nation of Islam.

Gloria Richardson, who was present, later remembered: "That was when I really wondered how long it would be before he broke with [the Nation of Islam].

[16][17] Regarding the March on Washington, theologian James H. Cone writes that "Malcolm's language was harsh, but it was the truth".

The organizers forced John Lewis to rewrite his speech because it was considered offensive to the Kennedy administration, and James Baldwin was not allowed to speak out of fear for what he might say.

[18] Public Enemy edited two samples from "Message to the Grass Roots" for the introduction to their 1987 song "Bring the Noise", making it sound like Malcolm X said "Too black, too strong.

"[19] In 1988, an edited quote from the speech was used at the beginning of the song "Cult of Personality" by Living Colour:[20] And during the few moments that we have left, we want to talk right down to earth in a language that everybody here can easily understand.In 1990, DJ Hype and Phivos Sebastiane with the alias "The Scientist" used a cut from the speech for their breakbeat hardcore song "The Exorcist": Our religion teaches us to be intelligent.

Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery.Gang Starr used part of "Message to the Grass Roots" for the beginning of their song "Tonz 'O' Gunz" from their 1994 album "Hard to Earn".