Does malcom x have a quote about white liberals?
Executive summary
Yes — Malcolm X repeatedly criticized "white liberals" in his speeches and writings; a commonly cited line is "The white liberal is the worst enemy to America and the worst enemy to the Black man," a formulation that appears in quotation collections online [1] and is consistent with his extended remarks at public appearances such as his October 11, 1963, Berkeley talk where he described white liberals who "posed as our friends" while doing the same harm as Southern whites [2]. Major archival transcripts of his speeches (Digital History) and multiple quote compilations record his recurring theme that some white liberals were hypocritical and politically self-serving [3] [4].
1. Malcolm X’s critique in context — public speeches and tone
Malcolm X articulated a sustained critique of a certain type of white liberal across public speeches in the early 1960s, arguing that white liberals often presented themselves as allies while maintaining structures that perpetuated Black oppression, a point he made plainly at UC Berkeley in 1963 when he accused white liberals of "posing as our friends" while "doing the same thing to us here in the North" [2]; this rhetorical pattern also appears in archived speech texts such as those collected by Digital History [3].
2. The famous line and attribution problems
The precise short, punchy quotation — "The white liberal is the worst enemy to America and the worst enemy to the Black man" — circulates widely on quote sites and anthologies [1], but many online repositories are user-contributed and do not always show the original transcript or recording for verification [5]. While the sentiment matches Malcolm X’s documented rhetoric, care is required: some versions condense or paraphrase longer passages from speeches, and third‑party quote pages may not reproduce the exact original wording [4] [5].
3. Where the strongest documentary evidence lies
Primary documentary evidence for Malcolm X’s critique is strongest in archived speech texts and recordings — for example, the UC Berkeley October 11, 1963, address where he contrasted northern white liberals’ behavior with southern racism and explained how they could be more damaging because they "posed as our friends" [2], and collections of his speeches preserved by Digital History [3]. These sources show the critique as part of extended argumentation rather than a one-off pithy aphorism.
4. How popular sites have amplified a shorthand version
Popular quote aggregators and community sites have amplified a distilled version of Malcolm X’s critique into the memorable two‑clause sentence about "the white liberal" being the "worst enemy" [1] [4]. Such sites increase visibility but can blur line-level fidelity: some entries are user-added without primary-source citation and other entries acknowledge that quotes are community-submitted and not verified [5].
5. Competing interpretations and implicit agendas
Scholars and activists interpret Malcolm X’s attack on white liberals differently: some read it as a strategic provocation aimed at exposing performative allyship and encouraging Black self-determination, while critics argue it risks oversimplifying political allies into a monolithic enemy; online quote sites may have incentives (traffic, polarization) to emphasize the most incendiary phrasing [1] [4]. The Berkeley transcript itself frames the critique as historically grounded and targeted at a political faction, not all white people [2].
6. Bottom line and limits of available reporting
Bottom line: Malcolm X did and often does get quoted about "white liberals," and the sentiment — that certain white liberals were hypocritical and harmful — is clearly documented in his speeches [3] [2]. However, the exact short sentence frequently attributed to him appears mainly in secondary quote compilations and may be a condensed version of his longer remarks; primary speech transcripts are the best source for precise wording, and some popular sites do not provide those transcripts [1] [5].