Morgan MooneOn Tuesday, May 19th, 2020, Law@theMargins co-hosted In Celebration of Malcolm X: Can Revolutionary Politics Serve Us in the Time Of Neo-Liberalism, moderated by Dr. Mamyrah Prosper. The event was co-hosted by Community Movement Builders and Afro-Socialists. We were honored to have Yusef Bunchy Shakur, Dr. Jared Ball, Shaheen Rana, and Jonathan Ellis as guests. The event, broadcast on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter was envisioned as an opportunity to explore Malcolm’s revolutionary politics and look at how his theory has been applied domestically and internationally.
Introduction to Malcolm X’s Revolutionary Politics
Dr. Jared Ball provided a historical overview of Malcolm’s thoughts. “Neoliberalism has been of business and corporate classes offering psychological warfare. It is the liberal rebranding of elite corporations [] rebranding freedom as ‘free market.’” A critical understanding for this event, and for all events regarding revolutionary politics, is the understanding that there is no today without “Malcolm’s assassination and continual rebranding into something that he’s not.”
Jonathan Ellis continues the introduction, noting that our values and politics must be in flux with the movement. “When we look at the context in which Malcolm X lived, we can also see that in our own time — we see the rise of white nationalism, the rise of the clan.” Even in a place where there is Black wealth, “the situation of the masses hasn’t changed, [and] we have seen that legislative reform is not enough to protect the Black community.”
Yusef Bunchy Shakur notes attempts of neoliberalism to water down Malcolm X’s teachings: “we are sold Malcolm through materialism, but we are told to reject his ideas. And this is an example of neoliberalism and whitewashing. This is a liberation struggle.” As the administration ramps up imperialism and xenophobia, as noted by Ellis, we have to think about how that impacts Black people outside of the United States. Shakur continues: “White supremacism is global. Imperialism is global.”
Finally, Shaheen Rana notes the connection between capital, imperialism and activism: “Since capital, whether it is in the form of money or other assets, already crosses borders, our solidarity and liberation tactics need to also. There are multiple examples of US imperialism seeking to control capital in other countries, including involvement in El Salvador in which the US government provided aid to the right-wing government. And, after a 12-year civil war began, the United States systematically excluded those fleeing the violence. “The US has continuously stated that the politics of our borders is related to security, but fails to recognize the exploitation that contributes to the ongoing crises and the direct impact on immigration and employment policies.”
Can Malcolm X’s Revolutionary Politics Serve Us Today?
With a resounding, yes, panelists explained how Malcolm’s politics can be integrated into existing structures and, in some instances, how they must break out of established conventionalities.
“Everyone can be of service to Black revolution,” Ellis said. “We have to engage in politics in an intelligent manner.”
“Every condition that faced Malcolm X exists today or is in fact worse. To me, it’s a non-starter to suggest that his ideas would have no relevance today,” Dr. Ball says. But when considering how to depart from the status quo, revolutionary politics must start with the two-party system. “We should engage electoral politics as organized blocs, running our own candidates on our own platforms and agendas that would be beholden to our communities.” We should be critical or even walk away from the two-party system. “Or we should be engaging in a very different way, rather than waiting to see who wins the primary and voting for the lesser evil.”
Shakur notes the impact of social media on the movement. “We can connect people.” So do we have a strategy?
“We have to think, ‘what is my role in combatting anti-Blackness in my community?’” Taking action — protesting in front of your consulate if there are policies that your country of birth or your parents’ birth is doing, even if you can’t take action on the ground is something that should continue to happen. “Organization is the first step in anything,” Ellis says, “whether it’s politics or community issues or doing something internationally. You have to be a body of people that is collective.”
Dr. Ball critiques that in person activism is seeing a stark decrease in the age of technology. “We are in a profound moment of disorganization that is being understood as social media followers and internet engagement. But that is not organization. There’s a difference between reading a book and studying a book. There’s a difference between being engaged online and doing the work of real community movement and organization. We need to understand the role that social media is playing in this disorganization.” He continues to note that a “well-funded and much more technologically savvy” generation has been funded and built up, taking up media space in a dangerous neoliberal direction. “I am concerned about those who are coming up now that don’t have the example of offline political organization.”
On Reparations
After discussing internationalism, the panelists briefly discussed reparations, and the challenges the present system presents in obtaining legislative approval. We shouldn’t be advocating for or focusing on a solution that requires an electoral process for redistribution to Black Americans. “My argument would be: we should focus on the annual gross domestic product of the US, which we all contribute to, whether we are owners or consumers.” Ball says. “And say, let’s target the 20 trillion dollars and say that should be redistributed so that no one is starving…they have quality education…Then [move] to reparations for the Black community. This should be bigger than an individual call.”
“Reparations is a conversation to distract us,” Shakur says. “It is a distraction from the liberation movement. We have to transform ourselves to be better human beings and understand that we are fighting…You can’t think Detroit is going to be free when Atlanta is still oppressed.”
What Does Revolutionary Politics Offer Us in Terms of Surviving COVID-19?
Rana notes the terrifying reality of being in public health right now. “COVID-19 has affected everything. One of the things that has been on my mind is thinking about places that have gotten a handle on the situation, even without a vaccine. In states or countries that are communist or socialist, like the State of Kerala, which have vast social safety nets, the people were more trusting of their government to ensure their wellbeing,” and therefore were more willing and compliant in isolating themselves.
Dr. Ball comments on how COVID-19 exemplifies how the existing economic structure was not working, and how romanticizing the past may lead to returning to the same broken system. “The elite are grabbing the collective wealth that we helped to produce. This moment proves that, if none of us are able to afford products, food, we must raise radical questions about adjustments we need to make going forward. There are illusions about how things were before COVID-19, and suggesting that everything was working well before the crisis. And that isn’t true.”
How Do We Create a Groundswell to Apply Pressure in the Coming Election?
Dr. Ball urged a return to Malcolm’s teachings on politics: “That’s the version we need to be engaged in. We need to be engaging and running the candidates. We need to be getting to the politics and business of reorganization at the grassroots level before we talk about engaging national electoral politics.”
“Politicians can no longer come into our community and rally us up to vote just because. Agendas and politicians must come out of a movement,” Shakur says. He continues to note the complex struggles in working towards reorganization: “Because of our inability to find space to work together, we are still functioning from whether we like one another versus values and getting into deep ideological struggles. There are real conversations that we can have…We need to build relationships that allow us to be our authentic selves so that we can organize against oppression.”
Ellis notes: “White liberal philanthropy has always, unfortunately, had a place in Black movements. We need to think about how we can fund ourselves. It’s not just about morally taking money from this group or that group, but it’s abont who determines the politics. Money influences what types of politics you have and activities you engage in. If you’re self-funded, then you’re in control of all of that.”
“If ever there was a time for revolutionary politics,” Shakur says, “it’s now. It is giving you all the ammunition. It is our job as organizers to organize, educate, and challenge existing platforms. How do we serve the people? This is our opportunity.”
