Malcolm and Martin on the White Liberal/Moderate

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…’