The Birmingham Jail then and now

I was a child when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated, and my only vivid memory of that was seeing my parents crying while watching TV when they heard the news. I was too young to have had any first hand experiences of his speeches or his writing. As I’ve grown older, I have a more intimate appreciation for his ministry and his contribution.

In 1963, as the Birmingham, AL Civil Rights campaign was taking place, Dr. King was arrested (along with other civil rights leaders) and accused of disobeying a ruling against protesting. There was an article written at that time by 8 white clergymen entitled "A Call for Unity" where they made the argument that racial segregation should be fought solely in the courts, not the streets. Dr. King’s response to their criticism was writing what has been called, The Letter from the Birmingham Jail. As an activist, Dr. King challenged an entrenched social system, he argued on legal, political and historical grounds.

In his letter he expressed frustration with white moderates and their lukewarm reception of the movement as something that was just as concerning as the resistance from the opposing forces.

“More and more I feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than have the people of good will. We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people”. Martin Luther King Jr. , Letter from Birmingham Jail.

How timely?

As we all celebrate the words and legacy of Dr. King, let's be sure to remember that the success of achieving full inclusion for everyone, at all levels, will be as a result of all of us, and our collective will to be activists for that outcome.

2021 will be our opportunity