PAMPHLET ON MALCOLM X
MALCOLM X, THE MAN AND HIS IDEAS, by George Breitman. Pioneer
Publishers, 5 Kast Third Ste, New York, N.Y. 10003. 1965,
24 pp. & 425,
This is one of the best appreciations of Malcolm X made since the martyrdom of the outstanding leader of the Negro people. It is the text of a speech made by George Breitman March 5 at the Friday Night Socialist Forum in Detroit. 4
Breitman is one of the leading authorities in the American radical movement on the freedom struggle of the Negro people and his contributions are generally of special interest as expositions of the Trotskyist view on this subject.
In this speech, he outlines the life of Malcolm X, particularly the development and maturing of his political outlook. Breitman holds that the evolution of Malcolm X, despite its unique aspects, epitomizes the logical course of the freedom struggle of the black people as a whole in the United States, The direction, as Breitman proves in the case of Malcolm X, is from individual rebellion, towards cohesion in the pattern of black nationalism, then towards alliance with other rebellious sectors of society, and finally towards socialism.
The tragedy in the life of Malcolm X was that he was not permitted to complete this perfectly natural evolution. It therefore cannot be said positively that he would have completed it although there is every reason to believe that his intelligence, honesty and talents were such that his next great step forward would have been a deep study of socialism and its relevance for the freedom struggle in the United States.
The death of Malcolm X was a "stunning blow to the Negro ‘people and to those white Americans who want to eradicate the system that breeds racism," says Breitman. "Men like Malcolm do not -appear often, or in great numbers."
However, the struggle will go on. "Malcolm cannot be replaced overnight, but meanwhile we all can and should. strive harder, work ~ harder, fight harder, unite more closely to try to fill the gap lef by the death of this man we loved, and give help and encouragement to those destined to replace him.®
This is .a fine tribute to Malcolm X and a good short account of the development of his views and the point he had reached when he was struck down.
Directeur-Gérant: Pierre FRANK. 1téditeur).