Malcolm X Asks What Kind Of Black Person Are You?
Watching this clip of Malcolm X makes me realize the discussion about House Negroes and Field Negroes exists today. Of course we are all individuals we have a right to have divergent points of view and perspectives. I am not suggesting that there needs to be a collective mentality taking place. However, we cannot change the fact as the scholar bell hooks says race always matters. It doesn’t matter how much power or money you acquire to ignore race is to ignore reality.
When I think about black people like Condoleezza Rice and Clarence Thomas its clear to me that Malcolm X comments makes perfect sense. Sure, Rice and Thomas are blacks with very powerful positions in society but they also follow the status quo. Thomas and Rice certainly don’t give a damn about the black race all they care about is maintaining the power they have acquired. Malcolm X wasn’t perfect but he loved black people and he cared deeply about the black race.
Gayblackcanada 
Am I house nigger or a field nigger? I live and make my money abroad, and of course, that gives me a certain amount of control over my life – I am not dependent on anyone and therefore don’t have to answer to anyone; I fly in and out of countries and whether there’s a race riot in Paris or reading annoying articles by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, I don’t have to have to get involved or be too concerned.
I do notice that when you do have money, the kind of people who would normally ignore you, suddenly want you to be at their dinner table every week. But then again, I also have the confidence to say I’m not interested without losing their ‘respect’. From my own people, would you believe, is where the hassle comes. I might be taking a flight, business class to get to somewhere only to be asked – are you standing in the right queue? So what am I? Maybe you can tell me or does the middle class need a special category!!
Like you said Orville, Malcolm X did love black people and that is why he will ALWAYS be important. I wonder what his position on women was. Either way, the house/field negro binary will always exist and sadly so.
Aulelia you are correct the house/field negro binary does exist today even though some people try to pretend that it doesn’t.