This letter was written by Martin Luther King Junior while serving time in Birmingham, Alabama in response to white clergymen who criticized his work in the civil rights movement. King was appalled that Christian men could condemn his work and felt the need to address the necessity of actively pursuing civil rights. He explains that he came to Birmingham when a fellow civil rights worker asked him to participate in a nonviolent demonstration. He recognized that the clergymen did not approve of such demonstrations and further educated them that several steps were taken before the demonstration took place. The white community had refused to negotiate with the Negroes until the tension from these demonstrations created greater concern. King
