The Ballot or the Bullet

“The Ballot or the Bullet” is a speech that Malcolm X first delivered at Cory Methodist Church in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 3, 1964. He also delivered the speech about a week later in Detroit, Michigan, on April 12, 1964. This guide is based on the latter version of this speech.

Malcolm speaks from a personal perspective. He starts by declaring himself a Muslim and by crediting Elijah Muhammad with making him into the man he has become. He acknowledges the differences between himself and the Christian leaders who invited him to speak, but alerts everyone to the cause that both black Christians and black Muslims ought to share in common: black nationalism.

Malcolm defines black nationalism as the idea that black people “should control the politics and the politicians in [their] own community” (Paragraph 4). Economically, black nationalism advocates for black people owning, managing, and controlling their communities’ economies. He points out that those who operate the businesses in black communities do not live in black communities. Therefore, they take revenue out of the community, leaving community members without any capital, which creates ghettos. Meanwhile, white communities expand their wealth with the capital earned in black communities.