A Reflection of ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ By Martin Luther King

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A Reflection of ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ By Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King Junior wrote the ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail” as a response to being called an outsider, in the wake of nonviolent protests taking place in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963. In the letter, Martin Luther King specifically responds to a statement made by eight white clergymen terming the protests as “unwise and untimely” and condemning outsiders leading them. The statement had been published in a local newspaper at the time. Martin Luther Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested on April 12, 1963, for being a non-violent leader in the civil right movement of the 1950s. On this specific day of his arrest, Jing had taken part in peaceful march against anti-segregation. He was arrested for not having a parade permit for the peaceful march and placed at a jail in Birmingham in Alabama.

King argues that people have the moral duty to break away from unjust laws. He also asserts that people should take collective action instead of potentially waiting forever for courts to deliver justice. The main thesis in Martin Luther King’s letter is that at times civil disobedience is a necessary reaction to injustice. King explains that the state, church, and citizens have to stand for civil rights and social justice. In his letter, Martin Luther King refutes the accusation that he agitates the community and proceeds to outline how valuable nonviolent protests are in the name of social justice.

Martin Luther King starts by referring to the eight clergymen as individuals of “genuine goodwill” and acknowledges how sincere their concern is hence setting a tone for a sensible dialogue. King then proceeds to claims of being an outsider by stating that he had been called upon to support African American residents in their fight for civil rights seeing that he was a leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Additionally, King argues that he had gone to Birmingham only because there was injustice and like early Christians such as Apostle Paul, he had to heed to the call for aid. In the letter, King refutes arguments by critics concerning segregation laws. He explained that such battles ought to be fought in courts rather than the streets. He explained that it is only direct action that can push the white majority into confronting racism issues to attain true dialogue. He argues that while he and other protesters were arrested for breaking the laws, those laws are unjust and immoral hence making civil disobedience a patriotic response.

In addition to directly taking on the criticism presented by the eight clergymen, Martin Luther used the letter to present his own judgments. King showcases how disappointed he was at white moderates that he deemed more harmful to the racial equality cause than the Ku Klux Klan. King condemned moderate claims that supported the cause while at the same time rejecting all attempts for direct action. Martin Luther would rather be viewed as an extremist for what he believed in rather than be a by-stander and passively watch ass these injustices continues to persist. Additionally, in this letter, Martin Luther King also talked the claims that action taken by Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) as extreme. He talks about himself as being caught in between two conflicting forces advocating for black change. On one hand, complacent blacks that have been demeaned too much that they believe in change or those that have been successful and are not willing to make sacrifices for true equality. On the other hand, there were those who had violent factions and had been exemplified by Elijah’s Muhammad and his Muslim movement. Martin Luther posits that his position was between these two extremes. Essentially, King advocated for peaceful but non-violent protests.

Worth noting, Martin Luther King continues by expressing his criticism in the leadership of the white for supporting status quo. King expected the church to do more. King considered the church as an institution that should transform society. He lamented that the contemporary church had swayed and fallen far off its cause and early Christian origins. He views modern day church as an irrelevant social hub that no longer inspires society. Despite how concerned he was for lack of support to the desegregation and racial equality cause, Martin Luther concluded his letter with hope that African Americans will get the equality and freedom they were pushing for.

In my viewpoint, Martin Luther King’s position was justified as it gave the people the power to push for what they considered right and call out unjustness. I agree that, at times, people must take the necessary action needed to attain a good cause. In this case, I believe that parades were necessary actions to ensure injustice of segregation of the colored and non-colored people were called out. While protests might seem as extreme, as long as they are executed reasonably without violence and within the provisions of the law, there is nothing wrong with that. I like that King took time in his letter to address the underlying issues in the leadership of the white church. It was high time for the church to be called out on its by0standing behavior even in the face of unspeakable injustices at the time. King was justified in calling the church out for not doing its work of inspiring society and calling out the social wrongs of inequality and segregation.