Letter from a Birmingham Jail

Letter from a Birmingham Jail

On the 16th of April in 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote an letter from the Birmingham city jail to his fellow clergymen. He was confined in jail after being arrested for being a part of a nonviolent protest. Martin Luther King Jr. is the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. S.C.L.C was asked by the affiliate in Birmingham to engage in a nonviolent direct action program. Martin Luther King Jr. and several members from Atlanta came to Birmingham because there is injustice here.

In September of 1963, there was an opportunity for negotiations on certain issues. For example, removing humiliating racial signs but it only lead to broken promises and disappointments. There was no other alternatives Therefore, Martin Luther King Jr. along with many others demonstrated a nonviolent protest. King was greatly disappointed when they were not supported by churches. The ministers declared: “Those are social issues, with which the gospel has no real concern.” White ministers and white churchmen stand aside like this issue was irrelevant.

Martin Luther King Jr. mentioned “Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever.” I believe that this statement is true. When one is oppressed, one day they will stand up and fight back with courage and pride. One might say, “Freedom isn’t just handed to you, you must fight for it.” I believe that nothing is ever just handed to you in this world.

Martin Luther King Jr. will always be remembered in African American history. He brought freedom and justice to his community. If it wasn’t for King, I can’t imagine how the world would be like today. He was a hero and a idol to many people out there. Although there are still racial issues today, we will continue improving ourselves for the better.


Jacky Leung
English 201B, MW 1-2:50