How we cite our quotes: (Chapter. Paragraph)
Quote #10
What makes the black man think of himself as only an internal United States issue is just a catch-phrase, two words, "civil rights." How is the black man going to get "civil rights" before first he wins his human rights? If the American black man will start thinking about his human rights, and then start thinking of himself as part of one of the world's great peoples, he will see he has a case for the United Nations. (11.52)
Let's look at those two words, civil and human. Civil means relating to the state a.k.a. the government. Human means, well, relating to all human beings. Obviously all citizens are human, so citizens of the United States should not need a separate law to be treated as human beings. Malcolm X is pointing out that since the United States was not treating African Americans as human beings according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the problem of racial oppression extends far beyond the jurisdiction of the United States alone.