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London Montgomery
Professor Cornell
ENG 100-027
17 November 2016
The Ballot or the Bullet: Critical Response
Malcolm X was an influential person during the Civil Rights era. He was known for his
controversial arguments and his very blunt and hard hitting comments. Malcolms powerful
speech, The Ballot or the Bullet, sparked conversation. It but a light on what the government was
doing, and how African American need to demand the rights to vote. One of the main themes in
Xs speech was that the government is sending African Americans over to fight a war for them,
but dont provide them with them of voting rights, an adequate education and degrades the
African American people.
The same government that you go abroad to fight for and die for is the government that
is in a conspiracy to deprive you of your voting rights, deprive you of your economic
opportunities, deprive you of decent housing, deprive you of decent education. You don't
need to go to the employer alone, it is the government itself, the government of America,
that is responsible for the oppression and exploitation and degradation of black people in
this country. And you should drop it in their lap. This government has failed the Negro.
This so-called democracy has failed the Negro. And all these white liberals have
definitely failed the Negro. ("Malcolm X: The Ballot or the Bullet.)
Malcolm Xs speech not only applied to that era, but you also see these same problems in 2016.
Voting. Voting in this 2016 election was critical. We had to choose between Donald
Trump and Hillary Clinton. This was probably one of the most crucial election of the 21st

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century. But I cannot stop thinking about all the people who dont have the right to vote because
of petty crimes, or they are a convict. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, about 1,430
people are in jail due to Miscellaneous crimes. And about 84,000 people are in prison on drug
charges. ("Federal Bureau of Prisons.") According to prisonpolicy.org, about 2.3 million people
are incarcerated right now. ("Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2016 ) That is about 1% of
population incarcerated. Once someone is incarcerated, they no longer have the right to vote,
they no longer have a say in what goes on in our government. And the majority of people
incarcerated are African American males. That doesnt seem fair.
Education is a big part of our society. Recently in Alabama, 76 schools were considered
to be failing. These schools are made up of mostly African American students. Why are they
considered failing you ask? Well according to al.com, these schools are considered failing
because these are the state's lowest ranking schools on state tests of reading and math.
("Alabama Places 'failing' Label on Majority Black Schools Only."). Stats say that there are
37,000 students in those failing schools, and that African Americans make up 91% of those
students. Malcolm X is totally correct. The same government that wants us to go other seas and
fight their war doesnt want to give our little brother and sisters the best education. Instead of
failing those 76 schools, why didnt the government come in and help put those schools back
on track. Help solve the problem. But no, it easier to put failing on a school than it is to go in
the school and help.
Natasha Nkhama. She is an example of how our country has allowed for such degrading
behavior and racial slurs to plague our society. Nkhama is a sophomore at Baylor University. The
day after Donald Trump was elected, she was shoved and called the n-word by a fellow student.
A Muslim teacher was threatened for waring her hijab. And she was told by her student that she

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shouldnt wear it, and that she should hang herself. These are just two examples of how the
African American people have been degraded and put down. This country does little to nothing
to prevent these things from happening. They may say, you shouldnt bully people or you
need to be nice to everyone, but words dont mean anything when you have the President- elect
telling his supporters to kick people out. What example is this government setting for the
children and future generations?
I do believe that the government has failed the African American people, and minorities
in general. But I do believe that the government is trying to reevaluate themselves, so that they
are being fair across all races. Malcolm X did have a theory, that blacks should be in charge of
their own government and should make decision that are best for them. I do believe that that
could help. But I also believe that we just need more African American in positions where we
have power, and we have a say in the country and about what affects us.

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Works Cited
"Federal Bureau of Prisons." BOP Statistics: Inmate Offenses. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
<https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_offenses.jsp>.

Initiative, Prison Policy. "Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2016 " Mass Incarceration:
The Whole Pie 2016 | Prison Policy Initiative. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
<http://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2016.html>.

Stephens, Challen |. "Alabama Places 'failing' Label on Majority Black Schools Only." AL.com.
N.p., 16 Feb. 2016. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
<http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/02/all_of_alabamas_newly_labeled.html>.

X, Malcom. "Malcolm X: The Ballot or the Bullet." Malcolm X: The Ballot or the Bullet. Social
Justice Speeches, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
<http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/speeches/malcolm_x_ballot.html>.