This clip is from the 1992 epic biographical drama film Malcolm X (sometimes stylized as X), based largely on Alex Haley’s 1965 book The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Directed and co-written by Spike Lee, the film stars Denzel Washington in the title role. This scene takes place after Malcolm has been arrested, and sentenced in his words to “one year for the burglaries and seven years for associating with white women while committing them.” Malcolm is seen discussing religion and language with Baines, a fellow prisoner and member of the Nation of Islam.

discussion

What is the difference between the definitions for words that include “black” and “white” in this clip?

What kind of ideologies and implicit biases are encoded in the definitions?

How does race come into Malcolm and Baines’ discussion of both God and language?

Can you think of other examples where words are encoded with particular meaning?