“By Any Type of Action by Any Means Necessary”

This is my analysis of the infamous phrase stated by Malcolm X.

This is the infamous phase attributed to El Hajj Malik El Shabazz or Malcolm X was originally states by Frantz Fannon in his justification of anti-colonial violence in his speech “Why We Use Violence” to the Accra positive action conference. “We see, therefore, that colonized people, caught in a web of three-dimensional violence, a meeting point of multiple, diverse, repeated, cumulative violence’s are soon logically confronted by the problem of ending colonial regime by any means necessary”. The speech was an analysis of the response of the colonized people of Africa against the settler class.  

                The portion of this phrase that should be emphasized should not be the “action” part but should be the “Necessary” portion. The necessary portion of the phrase states a certain level of analysis must occur before action can take place. Malcom X isn’t directly calling for violence, but states that all tools must be available, and a heavy analysis of a situation must be done as to most effectively use a tool. In a situation where the police are actively shooting at you, it may be necessary to engage in the same actions they are. In situation where the state legislator has banned abortion, it may be more efficient to blockade a government building or occupy it. It wouldn’t be wise to burn down a grocery store if the problem is that food prices have skyrocketed. In every situation, there must be a decent analysis of it and possible actions taken along with positive and negative outcomes. Malcolm X is railing against those who would like to artificially limit the abilities of the oppressed to respond to their oppressors. Malcolm

, like Fannon, believed that all action committed by the oppressed against oppressors is justified because the oppressor will use all necessary action against the oppressed. Both men were in a war, a war for black liberation and national liberation respectively. In a war you use every tool available, you don’t limit your arsenal because some petit bourgeoisie colonizer feels discomfort with your tactics. You don’t limit your range of action because some people believed you are “to scary”. The goal is freedom from oppression, not to appease the feelings of those liberals who are at unease.