Revolutionary Black Liberation Leader in the U.S.
1925-1965
Interview by Stan Bernard on
WINS Radio, New York, February 18, 1965
Stan Bernard: Don’t you incite,
Malcolm? Don’t you incite?
Malcolm X: I don’t think so.
How are you going to incite
people who are living in slums
and ghettos? It’s the city
structure that incites. A city
that continues to let people live
in rat-nest dens in Harlem and
pay higher rent in Harlem than
they pay downtown. This is what
incites it. Who lets merchants
outcharge or overcharge people
for their groceries and their
clothing and other commodities
in Harlem, while you pay less
for it downtown. This is what
incites it. A city that will not
create some kind of employment
for people who are barred from
having jobs just because their
skin is black. That’s what incites
it. Don’t ever accuse a black man
for voicing his resentment and
dissatisfaction over the criminal
condition of his people as being
responsible for inciting the
situation. You have to indict the
society that allows these things
to exist. And this is where I
differ with Dr. Hall.
