Letters from Tomis

Malcolm X. By Any Means Necessary. Pathfinder Press, 1970.

By Any Means Necessary, published by Pathfinder Press, is a concise yet powerful collection of speeches, interviews, and writings by Malcolm X that captures the revolutionary fervor, evolving political thought, and uncompromising critique of racism and imperialism that defined one of the most influential Black leaders of the 20th century. This volume is not merely a historical artifact but a vital political document that continues to resonate within struggles for racial and social justice worldwide.

The central value of this book lies in its preservation of Malcolm X’s voice during the final year of his life, a period marked by profound political transformation. Having broken from the Nation of Islam, Malcolm’s speeches reflect a broadening of his analysis beyond religious doctrine to embrace a more internationalist, anti-imperialist, and socialist-oriented worldview. Pathfinder Press does an exemplary job in curating texts that emphasize this evolution without diluting Malcolm’s militant stance.

One of the most striking features of By Any Means Necessary is Malcolm’s clarity in articulating the relationship between racial oppression in the United States and global structures of imperialism. His address at the Organization of Afro-American Unity, as well as his interviews with African and Middle Eastern journalists, reveal a thinker deeply committed to connecting the Black freedom struggle with the decolonization movements of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. His advocacy for armed self-defense, democratic self-determination, and Pan-African solidarity demonstrates a revolutionary synthesis rarely matched in American political discourse.

Academically, this volume is invaluable for students of African American history, postcolonial studies, and radical political theory. It invites critical engagement with themes of nationalism, class struggle, anti-colonial resistance, and the limitations of liberal civil rights discourse. Malcolm’s rhetorical precision and dialectical logic challenge both reformist and reactionary ideologies, compelling readers to reconsider the boundaries of political possibility.

The editorial framing by Pathfinder Press, while ideologically sympathetic to socialist currents, is helpful rather than intrusive. It offers context for Malcolm’s engagements with revolutionary movements and the shifts in his own thinking, making the collection suitable for both academic instruction and activist study groups.

In sum, By Any Means Necessary is more than a book—it is a rallying cry, a philosophical declaration, and a political education in the language of liberation. It endures as a key text for those seeking to understand not only Malcolm X, but the broader currents of Black radicalism and anti-imperialist resistance in the 20th century and beyond.