El Hajj Malik El Shabazz, better known to you as Malcolm X, was never timid about calling out racists and racism. One of his favorite quotes is apt for a recent sighting of blatant racism.
In the words of Chris Rock, that racism bus is never late!
Malcolm X asked, tongue in cheek… What do you call a Black Man with a PhD from Harvard?”
And the former Malcolm Little answered his own question. “America calls him a ‘Nicca!”
Well, Hakeem Jeffries is the leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives. He has no PhD, but he holds a bachelor’s, a master’s, and a J.D. They didn’t call him a “Nicca,” but they called him a “Monkey and a Boy.”
Those of us who are well-steeped in American racism know that “Nicca: was the unspoken pejorative waiting in the wings. Here’s how a September 6, 2026, Honest Reporting article explained it.
“On September 4, on a podcast called The Left Hook, the Arab Israeli journalist Rula Jebreal was asked about Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives and the most senior Black politician in America. This is what she said:
“He is a bought-and-paid-for AIPAC monkey.”
Then, a moment later: “With all due respect, and I don’t mean it in a racist way. He is just basically an errand boy, and we’re done and tired.”
For most of American history, a white man could call a Black man “boy” to his face, at any age, in any setting. It was how a shopkeeper addressed a Black customer, how a police officer addressed a Black driver, how a foreman addressed a Black worker of 60. It told a grown man that he was not one.”
Now let me hasten to say this. A phalanx of Warriors like me ain’t too happy with Mr. Minority Leader right now. His unwillingness to cast a ceremonial but meaningful protest vote brought the boo birds to his backyard.
On July 15, there was a vote in the House of Representatives to strip Israel of $3.3 billion in military aid. A move that would at minimum, send a shot over the bow of Netanyahu and his genocidal regime.
Almost half of House Democrats supported the measure, including former House majority leader Nancy Pelosi.
Jeffries would not join that camp and immediately heard cries that he was tied to AIPAC. For those who don’t know, this is AIPAC’s own definition of its membership and activities.
“The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is a major U.S. pro‑Israel lobbying organization founded in 1954 that advocates for policies strengthening the U.S.–Israel relationship and is considered one of the most influential lobbying groups in Washington.”
That’s their story; they are sticking to it. No one lobbies or advocates better. No PAC is as adept at raising or ruining a candidate. If AIPAC made it “rain” in a strip club, everyone else would be asked to leave. They bring a storm. AIPAC is serious and deliberate about all things Israel.
Hakeem looked a bit hypocritical to many, but Jebreal was way out of line. So much so that if she had said it in the presence of any Black man in America, she would have likely been confronted verbally.
Spouting “monkey and/or boy” could get you hurt! Badly!
“Jebreal has apologized. But an apology for the word is not an apology for the thinking, and the thinking is what produced the word.
So once again, what do you call a Black man with a Bachelor’s, a Master’s, and a Juris Doctor? Don’t hurry, I’ll wait! Malcolm proved it to me long ago.
