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“The white liberal is the worst enemy to America, and the worst enemy to the black man,” Malcolm X once famously said. He argued that white liberals often used their support for civil rights as a way to alleviate their own guilt and maintain their privileged positions in society, rather than challenging the structural racism that perpetuated inequality. Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam Malcom X speaking in New York City in 1963 Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam Malcom X speaking in New York City in 1963 Malcolm Little changed his name to Malcolm X when he became a member of the Nation of Islam. He rejected the surname that had been given to his family by the people that had enslaved them. He converted to the Nation of Islam while he was in prison for burglary. When he left prison in 1952, he formally changed his name and travelled across the USA spreading the message of the Nation of Islam. Like Dr Martin Luther King Jnr, Malcolm X became well known for his passionate speeches. However, he was critical of the methods used by King and his followers. He said King’s supporters were wasting their time trying to win over white Americans. He described the March on Washington as the “farce on Washington”. Another contrast to King was that Malcom X was prepared to say that violence might be necessary to achieve freedom for black Americans, but only in self-defence. We want freedom by any means necessary. We want justice by any means necessary. We want equality by any means necessary. — Malcolm X at the launch of the Organization of Afro-American Unity in 1964