The internet moves with hot takes nowadays, so let me start this piece with my own:
Malcolm X is proving to be far more prophetic than Martin Luther King Jr.
King lived through the optimism that one day white people would accept that Black people were created equal. Malcolm X, on the other hand, lived through the realism that white systems would never embrace Black people—because those systems were never built for us in the first place.
Malcolm X would have turned 100 today, and America in 2025 looks eerily similar to the one he warned about nearly six decades ago in his iconic speeches “The Ballot or the Bullet” and “Message to the Grassroots.” Whether he was talking about our neighborhoods, our schools or even our places of worship, many of those institutions look just as segregated now as they did when Malcolm stood at the podium and decried, “A ballot is like a bullet. You don’t throw your ballot until you see a target, and if that target is not within your reach, keep your ballot in your pocket.”
In an era where voter suppression is hidden under the veil of legislation, where schools remain divided by race and zip code, and where Black leadership is too often filtered through celebrity and social cache, you can’t help but wonder: Was Malcolm right all along?
If he stood before a podium today, there’s little doubt Malcolm X would be speaking with the same urgency—calling out the machine behind the mask, the propaganda on the other side of the mirror, and the hypocrisy spewing from the tongues of our politicians who swear to have your best interests at heart.
When Malcolm X delivered his iconic “The Ballot or the Bullet” speech in 1964, he emphasized the power of the vote as a means to achieve civil rights, warning that failure to use this tool effectively could lead to more radical initiatives.
“This is why I say it’s the ballot or the bullet, Malcolm said prophetically. “It’s liberty or it’s death. It’s freedom for everybody or freedom for nobody.” – The Ballot or the Bullet
In 2025, America chose the radical initiatives of Trump, MAGA, and Project 2025, as Republicans systematically work to strip the country of social and political gains like those once protected under the Civil Rights Act. Things like voter suppression now wear a suit and tie, dressed up as “election integrity.” In states like Georgia, Texas, and Florida, new legislation has rolled back key protections from the Voting Rights Act of 1965—the very law that activists fought to pass in Malcolm’s lifetime.
Malcolm X also argued that civil rights without true political power were meaningless. “The political philosophy of Black nationalism means that the Black man should control the politics of the politicians in his own community.” Yet still in 2025, politicians use the Black community as pawns in their voter squid games, parachuting into our neighborhoods during election season, never to be seen again after ballots are counted.
“When we open our eyes today and look around America, we see America not through the eyes of someone who has enjoyed the fruits of Americanism. We see America through the eyes of someone who has been the victim of Americanism. We don’t see any American dream. We’ve experienced only the American nightmare. We haven’t benefited from America’s democracy. We’ve only suffered from America’s hypocrisy.” – The Ballot or the Bullet
In “Message to the Grassroots,” Malcolm X discussed one of his most provocative metaphors: the “house Negro” vs the “field Negro.” The house Negro, he said, was invested in perserving the system that oppressed them both, while the field Negro was angry, alert and alwasys looking for a way out. At the time, it was just a metaphor, but it turned out to be a warning. In 2025, we still see echoes of this dynamic in Black leadership. Black conservatives with their slick ways of branding old racist tropes—podcasters who think a seat at the table is progress. Proximity to power isn’t the same as power, and Malcolm knew that.
“This modern house Negro loves his master. He wants to live near him. He’ll pay three times as much as the house is worth just to live near his master, and then brag about “I’m the only Negro out here.” “I’m the only one on my job.” “I’m the only one in this school.” You’re nothing but a house Negro. And if someone comes to you right now and says, “Let’s separate,” you say the same thing that the house Negro said on the plantation.” – Message to the Grassroots”
If Malcolm were alive today, I’d imagine his outrage. I’d imagine he’d question a system that allowed these injustices to continue. Because to him, the ballot was never just about participation—it was about power. And power, in America, still has a problem with Black and brown people.
Nearly 100 years after his birth, Malcolm X’s prophetic words are a reminder to America of its ugliness. He didn’t offer optimism, instead, he demanded truth, and today his voice still matters, because the ballot still matters. So don’t forget who you are when you hold it.
SEE ALSO:
20 Malcolm X Quotes Every Black Person Should Know
Malcolm X’s Most Iconic Speeches
Op-Ed: What Would Malcolm X Say About America In 2025?
was originally published on
newsone.com
