Rhetorical Analysis Of 'Message To The Grassroots'

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On November 10, 1963, activist Malcolm X gave his speech “Message to the Grassroots” at the Northern Negro Grass Roots Leadership Conference in Detroit, Michigan. While this time period is right in the middle of the civil rights movement, Malcolm X was very critical of the actions of some of the movement’s most prominent leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He does not just criticize their actions, but he also tells the audience what he thinks should be done in order for black Americans to receive civil rights. The main point that Malcolm X makes during this speech is that there needs to be a separation between white people and people of color, specifically black people. Another common theme that is repeated throughout the speech …show more content…
According to him, the black revolution is the fight for black nationalism and black sovereignty. Since one of the civil rights movement’s main purpose was to have black Americans be accepted and coexist within the majority white population, it goes against his notion of revolution is which is “...the fight for land so he can set up his own nation, an independent nation.” (X, 1963)

The main issue that Malcolm X pressed during this speech is that all people of color have a common enemy. Their common enemy is the white man. He believed that if all people of color came together and put their issues aside, then they could become more powerful than white men, the colonizers of their nations.

“And when you and I here in Detroit and in Michigan and in America who have been awakened today look around us, we too realize here in America we all have a common enemy, whether he’s in Georgia or Michigan, whether he’s in California or New York. He’s the same man: blue eyes and blond hair and pale skin — same man. So what we have to do is what they did. They agreed to stop quarreling among themselves. Any little spat that they had, they’d settle it among themselves, go into a huddle — don’t let the enemy know that you got [sic] a disagreement.”
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