In 1963, both Malik Shabazz (formerly Malcolm X) and Martin
Luther King Jr. addressed the fecklessness and superficiality of white
liberals, Malik in two at least two speeches and Martin in “Letter from a
Birmingham Jail”. Malik uses the term
“white liberal” where Martin uses the term “white moderate” but they clearly
refer to the same sorry faithless, spineless group.
Speech by Malik Shabazz at the University of California in early 1963 (excerpts)
‘The white liberal is the worst enemy to America, and the
worst enemy to the black man. Let me
explain what I mean by the white liberal.
‘In America there is no such thing as Democrat or Republican
anymore. In America you have liberals
and conservatives. The only people
living in the past who think in terms of I’m a Democrat or Republican, is the
American Negro. He’s the one that runs
around bragging about party affiliation. He’s the one that sticks to the Democrat or
sticks to the Republican.
‘But white people are divided into two groups, liberals and
conservative. The Democrats who are
conservative vote with the Republicans who are conservative. The Democrats who are liberal vote with the
Republicans that are liberal. The white
liberal aren’t white people who are for independence, who are moral and ethical
in their thinking. They are just a
faction of white people that are jockeying for power.
‘The same as the white conservative is a faction of white
people that are jockeying for power. They are fighting each other for power and
prestige, and the one that is the football in the game is the Negro, 20 million
black people. A political football, a
political pawn, an economic football, and economic pawn. A social football, a social pawn.
‘The liberal elements of whites are those who have perfected
the art of selling themselves to the Negro as a friend of the Negro. Getting sympathy of the Negro, getting the
allegiance of the Negro, and getting the mind of the Negro. Then the Negro sides with the white liberal,
and the white liberal use the Negro against the white conservative. So that anything that the Negro does is never
for his own good, never for his own advancement, never for his own progress,
he’s only a pawn in the hands of the white liberal.
‘The worst enemy that the Negro have is this white man that
runs around here drooling at the mouth professing to love Negros, and calling
himself a liberal, and it is following these white liberals that has
perpetuated problems that Negros have.
If the Negro wasn’t taken, tricked, or deceived by the white liberal
then Negros would get together and solve our own problems.
‘I only cite these things to show you that in America the
history of the white liberal has been nothing but a series of trickery designed
to make Negros think that the white liberal was going to solve our
problems. Our problems will never be
solved by the white man. The only way
that our problem will be solved is when the black man wakes up, clean himself up,
stand on his own feet and stop begging the white man, and take immediate steps
to do for ourselves the things that we have been waiting on the white man to do
for us. Once we do for self then we will
be able to solve our own problems.
‘The white conservatives aren't friends of the Negro either,
but they at least don't try to hide it. They are like wolves; they show their
teeth in a snarl that keeps the Negro always aware of where he stands with
them. But the white liberals are foxes,
who also show their teeth to the Negro but pretend that they are smiling. The white liberals are more dangerous than the
conservatives; they lure the Negro, and as the Negro runs from the growling
wolf, he flees into the open jaws of the “smiling” fox. One is the wolf, the other is a fox. No matter
what, they’ll both eat you.’
Letter From The Birmingham Jail (excerpts)
Martin Luther King, 16 April 1963
(I just recently learned that Martin included this portion in his letter because a group of eight white clergymen had published an open letter to Dr. King and his associates and followers admonishing him and them over their “aggressive” tactics and calling on them to be less confrontational.)
‘First, I must confess that over the last few years I have
been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable
conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom
is not the White Citizen's Council-er or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate
who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace
which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of
justice; who constantly says “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I
can't agree with your methods of direct action;” who paternalistically feels he
can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by the myth of time
and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a "more convenient
season.
‘Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more
frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering
than outright rejection.
‘In spite of my shattered dreams of the past, I came to
Birmingham with the hope that the white religious leadership of this community
would see the justice of our cause, and with deep moral concern, serve as the
channel through which our just grievances would get to the power structure. I had hoped that each of you would understand.
But again I have been disappointed. I have heard numerous religious leaders of the
South call upon their worshippers to comply with a desegregation decision
because it is the law, but I have longed to hear white ministers say, “follow
this decree because integration is morally right and the Negro is your brother.”
In the midst of blatant injustices
inflicted upon the Negro, I have watched white churches stand on the sideline and
merely mouth pious irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities. In the midst of a mighty struggle to rid our
nation of racial and economic injustice, I have heard so many ministers say, “those
are social issues with which the gospel has no real concern", and I have
watched so many churches commit themselves to a completely other-worldly
religion which made a strange distinction between body and soul, the sacred and
the secular.
‘So here we are moving toward the exit of the twentieth
century with a religious community largely adjusted to the status quo, standing
as a tail-light behind other community agencies rather than a headlight leading
men to higher levels of justice.’
Speech by Malik Shabazz, New York, 1 December 1963
(excerpts)
‘In this deceitful American game of power politics, the
Negroes (i.e., the race problem, the integration and civil rights issues) are
nothing but tools, used by one group of whites called Liberals against another
group of whites called Conservatives, either to get into power or to remain in
power. Among whites here in America, the
political teams are no longer divided into Democrats and Republicans. The whites who are now struggling for control
of the American political throne are divided into “liberal” and “conservative”
camps. The white liberals from both
parties cross party lines to work together toward the same goal, and white
conservatives from both parties do likewise.
‘The white liberal differs from the white conservative only
in one way: the liberal is more deceitful than the conservative. The liberal is more hypocritical than the
conservative. Both want power, but the
white liberal is the one who has perfected the art of posing as the Negro's
friend and benefactor; and by winning the friendship, allegiance, and support
of the Negro, the white liberal is able to use the Negro as a pawn or tool in
this political “football game” that is constantly raging between the white
liberals and white conservatives.
‘Politically the American Negro is nothing but a football
and the white liberals control this mentally dead ball through tricks of
tokenism: false promises of integration and civil rights. In this profitable game of deceiving and
exploiting the political politician of the American Negro, those white liberals
have the willing cooperation of the Negro civil rights leaders. These “leaders” sell out our people for just a
few crumbs of token recognition and token gains. These “leaders” are satisfied with token
victories and token progress because they themselves are nothing but token
leaders.
‘…The three million Negro voters are the so-called
middle-class Negroes, referred to by the late Howard University sociologist, E.
Franklin Frazier, as the “black bourgeoisie”, who have been educated to think
as patriotic "individualists," with no racial pride, and who
therefore look forward hopefully to the future “integrated-intermarried”
society promised them by the white liberals and the Negro “leaders”. It is with this hope that the
"integration-minded" three million remain an active part of the
white-controlled political parties. But
it must never be overlooked that these three million “integration seekers” are
only a small minority of the eleven million potential Negro voters…
‘…In this deceitful American game of power politics, the
Negroes (i.e., the race problem, the integration and civil rights issues) are
nothing but tools, used by one group of whites called Liberals against another
group of whites called Conservatives, either to get into power or to remain in
power. Among whites here in America, the
political teams are no longer divided into Democrats and Republicans. The whites who are now struggling for control
of the American political throne are divided into “liberal” and “conservative”
camps. The white liberals from both
parties cross party lines to work together toward the same goal, and white
conservatives from both parties do likewise.
‘The white liberal differs from the white conservative only
in one way: the liberal is more deceitful than the conservative. The liberal is more hypocritical than the
conservative. Both want power, but the
white liberal is the one who has perfected the art of posing as the Negro’s
friend and benefactor; and by winning the friendship, allegiance, and support
of the Negro, the white liberal is able to use the Negro as a pawn or tool in
this political “football game” that is constantly raging between the white
liberals and white conservatives.
‘Politically the American Negro is nothing but a football
and the white liberals control this mentally dead ball through tricks of
tokenism: false promises of integration and civil rights. In this profitable game of deceiving and
exploiting the political politician of the American Negro, those white liberals
have the willing cooperation of the Negro civil rights leaders. These “leaders” sell out our people for just a
few crumbs of token recognition and token gains. These “leaders” are satisfied
with token victories and token progress because they themselves are nothing but
token leaders…
‘…The three million Negro voters are the so-called
middle-class Negroes, referred to by the late Howard University sociologist, E.
Franklin Frazier, as the “black bourgeoisie”, who have been educated to think
as patriotic “individualists”, with no racial pride, and who therefore look forward
hopefully to the future “integrated-intermarried” society promised them by the
white liberals and the Negro “leaders”.
It is with this hope that the “integration-minded” three million remain
an active part of the white-controlled political parties. But it must never be overlooked that these
three million “integration seekers” are only a small minority of the eleven
million potential Negro voters…
‘…Think how the late President himself got into office by
only scant margin which was “donated” to him by Negro voters, and think how
many governors and other white politicians hold their seats (some by less than
five thousand votes). Only then can you
understand the importance of these white liberals place on their control of the
Negro vote!…
‘…Let us examine briefly some of the tricky strategy used by
white liberals to harness and exploit the political energies of the Negro. The crooked politicians in Washington, D.C.,
purposely make a big noise over the proposed civil rights legislation. By blowing up the civil rights issue they
skillfully add false importance to the Negro civil rights “leaders”. Once the image of these Negro civil rights
“leaders” has been blown up way beyond its proper proportion, these same Negro
civil rights “leaders” are then used by white liberals to influence and control
the Negro voters, all for the benefit of the white politicians who pose as
liberals, who pose as friends of the Negro.
‘The white conservatives aren’t friends of the Negro either,
but they at least don’t try to hide it. They
are like wolves; they show their teeth in a snarl that keeps the Negro always
aware of where he stands with them. But
the white liberals are foxes, who also show their teeth to the Negro but
pretend that they are smiling. The white
liberals are more dangerous than the conservatives; they lure the Negro, and as
the Negro runs from the growling wolf, he flees into the open jaws of the “smiling”
fox.
‘The job of the Negro civil rights leader is to make the
Negro forget that the wolf and the fox both belong to the (same) family. Both are canines; and no matter which one of
them the Negro places his trust in, he never ends up in the White House, but
always in the dog house.
‘The white liberals control the Negro and the Negro vote by
controlling the Negro civil rights leaders. As long as they control the Negro civil rights
leaders, they can also control and contain the Negro’s struggle, and they can
control the Negro’s so-called revolt. The
Negro “revolution” is controlled by these foxy white liberals, by the
government itself. But the black revolution is controlled only by God…
‘…The Negro “revolt” is controlled by the white man, the
white fox. The Negro “revolution” is
controlled by this white government. The
leaders of the Negro “revolution” (the civil rights leaders) are all
subsidized, influenced and controlled by the white liberals; and all of the
demonstrations that are taking place on this country to desegregate lunch
counters, theaters, public toilets, etc., are just artificial fires that have
been ignited and fanned by the white liberals in the desperate hope that they
can use this artificial revolution to fight off the real black revolution that
has already swept white supremacy out of Africa, Asia, and is sweeping it out
of Latin America...and is even now manifesting itself also right here among the
black masses in this country…’
