Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” introduced the class to the battle of what is “just” in our lives and what course of action should be taken when unjust laws are being forced upon people. In “Deconstructing Dr. Martin Luther King’s ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’ and the Strategy of Nonviolent Resistance” the authors, Conra D. Gist and Karsonya Wise Whitehead, argue that King’s nonviolent strategy in the Civil Rights Movement was pivotal to the success and equality African American’s (rightfully) enjoy today. However, the authors make it clear that the fight for racial justice in America is far from over, and as such they view King’s strategy extremely relevant to the modern-day battles for equality. The article cites
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Dr. King’s letter also speaks to the importance of negotiations alongside nonviolent oppression. It is important to note that this letter written in Birmingham Jail is in response to a news article published in the Birmingham News the same day of King’s arrest. Eight white clergymen wrote “A Call for Unity” and asserted that the legal system was the only way to truly achieve the equality King and the movement were advocating for against an organized opposition. King responded with “Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has consistently refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.” (2). The authors of the article provide an example of nonviolent resistance and negotiations in the legal system occurring in 1956. The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) Legal Defense Fund had a major victory when the Supreme Court established that the segregation of busses was in violation of the Constitution. A month after the Supreme Court ruling, the Montgomery bus system was desegregated; a visible success for those in the movement and observing the movement. King says, “We therefore concur with you in your call for negotiation. Too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in the tragic attempt to live in monologue rather than dialogue.” (2). This quote from King highlights the need for dialogue between the two groups, the two groups being those fighting for Civil Rights and those (particularly in law enforcement and the legal system) opposing racial
Dr. King’s letter also speaks to the importance of negotiations alongside nonviolent oppression. It is important to note that this letter written in Birmingham Jail is in response to a news article published in the Birmingham News the same day of King’s arrest. Eight white clergymen wrote “A Call for Unity” and asserted that the legal system was the only way to truly achieve the equality King and the movement were advocating for against an organized opposition. King responded with “Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has consistently refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.” (2). The authors of the article provide an example of nonviolent resistance and negotiations in the legal system occurring in 1956. The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) Legal Defense Fund had a major victory when the Supreme Court established that the segregation of busses was in violation of the Constitution. A month after the Supreme Court ruling, the Montgomery bus system was desegregated; a visible success for those in the movement and observing the movement. King says, “We therefore concur with you in your call for negotiation. Too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in the tragic attempt to live in monologue rather than dialogue.” (2). This quote from King highlights the need for dialogue between the two groups, the two groups being those fighting for Civil Rights and those (particularly in law enforcement and the legal system) opposing racial