Letter_from_a_Birmingham_Jail

“Letter from a Birmingham Jail (King, Jr.)” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has written a thought provoking piece of literature in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” which peels away the superficial layers and addressed the heart of the matter. In his letter, Dr. King compellingly and clearly states why he chose to participate in the nonviolent campaign that resulted in his being placed in the jail. His letter is addressed to his fellow clergymen, and in it King does not waver in stating his disappointment with the “white moderate” and with the church. In Dr. King’s “letter”, one recognizes several themes that were a part of American history for the period c. 1877 to c. 1963. One is segregation which was being practiced despite the fact that the 1954 Supreme Court decision outlawed segregation in the public schools. A second theme is disenfranchising African Americans. Devious means were being used to keep African Americans from exercising their right to vote. A third theme that appears in the letter is the promise of democracy and freedom, which has drawn people to this country since its beginnings. However, the African American was being told that he must “wait” a while longer for his freedom. Dr. King was bothered by the racial injustice and discrimination of American society in the 1960’s. He surmised that Birmingham was probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States. Dr. King stated that segregation “distorts the soul and damages the personality.” He also stated segregation “gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority.” His examples of a father explaining to his six year old daughter why she couldn’t go to the public amusement park and the humiliation of being addressed as “nigger” and “boy” and “John” were heart-wrenching. Dr. King was also bothered by the idea that the African Americans were being told they must “wait” for equal rights. He states, “This “Wait” has almost always meant “Never.” He states “justice too long delayed is justice denied.” He also states: “Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro. Something within has reminded him of his birthright of freedom, and something without has reminded him that it can be gained.” Dr. King was also bothered by Birmingham’s white power structure which refused to engage in good faith negotiations with African American leaders which resulted in the demonstrations. Dr. King discusses just and unjust laws and states , “A law is unjust if it is inflicted on a minority that, as a result of being denied the right to vote, had no part in enacting or devising the law.” He states that, “sometimes a law is just on its face and unjust in its applications. For instance, I have been arrested on a charge of parading without a permit. Now, there is nothing wrong in having an ordinance which requires a permit for a parade. But such an ordinance becomes unjust when it is used to maintain segregation and to deny citizens the First-Amendment privilege of peaceful assembly and protest.” Dr. King was also very disappointed with the church. He states, “When I was suddenly catapulted into the leadership of the bus protest in Montgomery, Alabama, a few years ago, I felt we would be supported by the white church. I felt that the white ministers, priests and rabbis of the South would be among our strongest allies. Instead, some have been outright opponents, refusing to understand the freedom movement and misrepresenting its leaders; all too many others have been more cautious than courageous and have remained silent behind the anesthetizing security of stained glass windows. He further states, “I had hope that the white religious leadership of this community would see the justice of our cause and, with deep moral concern, would serve as the channel through which our just grievances could reach the power structure. I had hoped that each of you would understand. But again I have been disappointed.” Dr. King was gravely disappointed with the white moderate as well. He writes in his letter, “I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler 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 cannot agree with your methods of direct action”, who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a “more convenient season.” Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is more than bewildering than outright rejection.” He further states, “I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and that when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress. I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that the present tension in the South is a necessary phase of the transition from an obnoxious negative peace, in which the Negro passively accepted his unjust plight, to a substantive and positive peace, in which all men will respect the dignity and worth of human personality.” We still see some attitudes exhibited by the “white moderate” in today’s society. There will always be those who want to hold on to the status quo and “leave things as they are.” However, the prejudice that we see today appears to be aimed at the Muslim culture, which is the results of the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001. America in 2010 is certainly different from Dr. King’s America. Legal segregation no longer exists and African Americans are no longer denied their right to vote. In fact, the highest office in the country is held by an African American. However, in modern America, segregation still exists on Sunday mornings in our churches as a matter of choice, not law. Unfortunately, racial prejudice still exists as evidenced by the lingering presence of the Ku Klux Klan and by some from the south who continue to embrace the racist attitudes of their ancestors. I think that if Dr. King were alive today and wrote a second “Letter”, he would acknowledge that progress has been made and he would rejoice in it. He would be so pleased that African Americans have finally been given their civil rights and hold positions of political authority and are given the same opportunities for education and financial growth as the white population. However, I think he would not hesitate to point our areas that need to be improved. “Letter from a Birmingham Jail (King, Jr.)” African Studies Center – University of Pennsylvania