Harlem Duet

Instruments play the blues as the voice of Malcolm X scats the question, “What Difference Does Color Make?” As he continues packing, Othello breaks into a monologue as Billie listens in silence. He apologizes for the remarks he made earlier and goes on to explain how change can be beneficial. He recalls how his mother used to say that he needed to be “three times as good as a White child to get by, to do well” (73), but he does not share her views. “I am not minor” (73), he states, and his culture is the same as a white man of his age and education. As such, he has no real connection to Africa, nor does he see such as connection as the way to become “human” (73). He goes on to say that he is an American, that the slaves were freed over 130 years ago, and that interracial marriage is no longer illegal. He wants no part of the racial wars, and he rejects being judged by his color.