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A review by komet2020
Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Letter from Birmingham Jail is a booklet consisting of Dr. King's eloquent Letter from Birmingham Jail, which he had written on strips of newspaper in Birmingham, Alabama, where he was imprisoned in the spring of 1963 by the authorities for leading a non-violent, direct action public protest against the segregationist laws and practices in Birmingham. This letter Dr. King had written as a response to "eight white Alabama clergymen, who argued that the fight against racial segregation should be fought in the courts - not the streets."
Letter from Birmingham Jail is a eloquent summation of Dr. King's advocacy of non-violent, direct action as a way of helping to end an injustice or injustices against a segment of the population based upon the color of their skin. I first read it in a 1963 issue of EBONY magazine many years ago and was deeply moved by it. And now that I have had re-read the Letter, here is a passage therefrom that had a deep resonance with me ---
[Dr. King to the Alabama clergymen:] "In your statement, you assert that our actions, even though peaceful, must be condemned because they precipitate violence. But is this a logical assertion? Isn't this like condemning a robbed man because his possession of money precipitated the evil act of robbery? Isn't this like condemning Socrates because his unswerving commitment to truth and his philosophical inquiries precipitated the act by the misguided populace in which they made him drink hemlock? Isn't this like condemning Jesus because his unique God consciousness and never ceasing devotion to God's will precipitated the evil act of crucifixion? We must come to see that, as the federal courts have consistently affirmed, it is wrong to urge an individual to cease his efforts to gain his basic constitutional rights because the quest may precipitate violence. Society must protect the robbed and punish the robber. I had also hoped that the white moderate would reject the myth concerning time in relation to the struggle for freedom."
The booklet also contains a sermon Dr. King gave in Chicago on April 9, 1967 entitled "The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life." I would strongly urge the reader of this review to read both texts in the booklet, if so inclined. Reading both texts for me has deepened my respect and admiration for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for his eloquence and uncommon courage in the fight against racial segregation and socio-economic injustice throughout the U.S. and the world, despite the risks such a stand often put on his life from his critics and those who hated him for being "a drum major for justice", inspiring millions to become involved in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
Letter from Birmingham Jail is a eloquent summation of Dr. King's advocacy of non-violent, direct action as a way of helping to end an injustice or injustices against a segment of the population based upon the color of their skin. I first read it in a 1963 issue of EBONY magazine many years ago and was deeply moved by it. And now that I have had re-read the Letter, here is a passage therefrom that had a deep resonance with me ---
[Dr. King to the Alabama clergymen:] "In your statement, you assert that our actions, even though peaceful, must be condemned because they precipitate violence. But is this a logical assertion? Isn't this like condemning a robbed man because his possession of money precipitated the evil act of robbery? Isn't this like condemning Socrates because his unswerving commitment to truth and his philosophical inquiries precipitated the act by the misguided populace in which they made him drink hemlock? Isn't this like condemning Jesus because his unique God consciousness and never ceasing devotion to God's will precipitated the evil act of crucifixion? We must come to see that, as the federal courts have consistently affirmed, it is wrong to urge an individual to cease his efforts to gain his basic constitutional rights because the quest may precipitate violence. Society must protect the robbed and punish the robber. I had also hoped that the white moderate would reject the myth concerning time in relation to the struggle for freedom."
The booklet also contains a sermon Dr. King gave in Chicago on April 9, 1967 entitled "The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life." I would strongly urge the reader of this review to read both texts in the booklet, if so inclined. Reading both texts for me has deepened my respect and admiration for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for his eloquence and uncommon courage in the fight against racial segregation and socio-economic injustice throughout the U.S. and the world, despite the risks such a stand often put on his life from his critics and those who hated him for being "a drum major for justice", inspiring millions to become involved in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.