Anti-imperial Dreams: Message to the Brownroots

Anti-imperial Dreams: Message to the Brownroots

(Revised speech by Malcolm X “Message to the Grassoots” and quote by Black Panther Party)

Revisions by Raúl Al-qaraz Ochoa

I would like to make a few comments concerning the difference between the Mexican revolution and the hispanic revolution. What is the difference between a Mexican revolution and a hispanic revolution? First, what is a revolution? Sometimes I’m inclined to believe that many use the word «revolution» loosely, without taking careful consideration to what this word actually means, and what its historic characteristics are. When you study the historic nature of revolutions, the motive of a revolution, the objective of a revolution, and the result of a revolution, and the methods used in a revolution, you may change words. You may devise another program. You may change your goal and you may change your mind.

The Indigenous resistance against European settlers — What was it based on? Land. They wanted to take possession of native land. But how did the Natives defend their land? Bloodshed. The Mexican Revolution of 1910 — what was it based on? Land. The land-less against the landlord. How did they bring it about? Bloodshed. Was no love lost; was no compromise; was no negotiation. I’m telling you, you don’t know what a revolution is. cuz when you find out what it is, you’ll get back in the alley; you’ll get out of the way. You haven’t got a revolution that doesn’t involve bloodshed.

And you’re afraid to bleed. Yes, I said you’re afraid to bleed.

As long as the rich, white man sent you to Panama, you bled. He sends you to Iraq, you bleed. He sends you to Afghanistan, you bleed. You bleed for rich, white people. But when it comes time to seeing your own people getting detained and deported and little brown children separated from their mothers and fathers, you haven’t got no blood. You bleed when the rich, white man says bleed; you bite when the rich, white man says bite; and you bark when the rich, white man says bark. Now tell me, how are you going to be nonviolent in Arizona, as violent as you are in Iraq? How can you justify being nonviolent in Arizona and Texas, when your people are the targets of genocide at the u.s.-mexico border, and our little girls are being handcuffed by police and murdered by white supremacists, and at the same time you’re going to be violent with innocent brown civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan that look just like you???

It is correct for the Iraqi people to defend themselves and defend their land and fight for self-determination, just like it is morally correct for us to do the same in this country. I would never fight my own poor, oppressed people—no matter what part of the world it may be. An Iraqi civilian has NEVER oppressed us. They have NEVER called you or me an ‘illegal’. They have NEVER denied you or me an education. They have NEVER created unequal laws that degrade our humanity. So I would NEVER dream to invade them cuz invading them is invading you/me/us.

Finally, if violence is wrong in Amerika, violence is wrong abroad. If it’s wrong to be violent defending brown womyn and brown children and brown babies and brown men, then it’s wrong for Amerika to target us for recruitment and make us violent abroad in defense of her. And if it is right for Amerika to  target us for recruitment , and teach us how to be violent in defense of her, then it is right for you and me to do whatever is necessary to defend our own people right here in this country.