In one sense, we were huddled in there, bonded togethher in seeking security and warmth and comfort from each other, and we didn't know it. All of us—who might have probed space, or cured cancer, or built industries—were, instead, black victims of the white man's American social system. What did Malcolm mean when he said this?

By this quote, Malcolm X suggests that whether they realize and accept it or not, the black people of Harlem are and will always be victims of a politically influenced white American society.

Explanation:

In his "The Autobiography of Malcolm X", Malcolm X in conversation with Alex Haley delves into his life, childhood, and becoming a human rights activist, especially for the black African-Americans facing racism. The book gives an insight into the life of the famous world of Malcolm X.

The given passage is from Chapter VI of the book titled "Detroit Red". This passage reveals the sad reality of the people of Harlem. Malcolm admits "we were huddled in there, bonded together in seeking security and warmth and comfort from each other" while it also became unintentionally that they were "black victims of the white man's American social system." The political reality is that even though they may feel like they owned the streets of Harlem, their act of coming into the 'safety and homely' nightclub make sit evident that they are still victims of oppression under the whites.

So, by this very statement, Malcolm seems to suggest and verify that they are victims of racism, and that it is not because of what they did but more of how the American political system makes it seem so.