On April 16, 1963, while under arrest for a protest held in Birmingham, Alabama, and sitting in a Birmingham jail, Dr. Martin Luther King was chastised by his fellow clergymen in a letter titled “A Call for Unity.” They criticized King for protesting and condemned him for being an extremist. King responded with his own letter to justify his actions. He pointed out that it was in Birmingham, Alabama, that civil rights activists faced the most determined resistance. In open defiance of Supreme Court rulings, Birmingham had closed its 38 public playgrounds, eight swimming pools, and four golf courses rather than integrate them. Under these circumstances, King’s extremism was the appropriate
