Alternative Radio - Episode June 25, 2025

Malcolm X and the Politics of Race


Malcolm X’s life represents an extraordinary evolution and transformation from street hustler and ex-con to an intellectual visionary with a race and class analysis. He went from being a narrow nationalist to incorporating a broad global perspective. He articulated a strong challenge to the system of power and privilege. Consequently, the FBI wiretapped Malcolm, read his mail, and kept him under surveillance. A riveting orator, he gave talks throughout the country, including his famous Ballot or the Bullet Speech. On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was gunned down at the Audubon Ballroom in West Harlem. This special program marks the centenary of his birth.


Speaker: Michael Eric Dyson


Michael Eric Dyson, a globally renowned scholar of race, religion and contemporary culture, is the Centennial Chair and University Distinguished Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies at Vanderbilt University. A dynamic speaker, he lectures widely. Among his many books are April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King’s Death and How it Changed America, Tears We Cannot Stop, Holler If You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur, Jay-Z: Made in America, Entertaining Race: Performing Blackness in America and Represent: The Unfinished Fight for the Vote.


Description from www.alternativeradio.org