Letter From a Birmingham Jail - Martin Luther King
In April 1963, Martin Luther King wrote a lengthy letter to a group of white Pastors who had criticized him and the movement he was leading to bring an end to the segregationist policies in Alabama (and beyond). After leading a series of nonviolent protests, King and a couple other leaders of the movement were jailed for a number of days, much of it spent in isolation. I recently read this amazing piece of literature for the first time (can't believe it was never a part of my education previously). It lays out some very important ideas about the theory and methods of using nonviolent protests to create pressure on unjust systems that need to be changed. It also challenges "white moderates" who simply desired peace without working for justice. I think I very likely would have been a "white moderate" had I been alive then and I find this letter important as a Christian first, as an American second, and most importantly as a human. I have highlighted sections tha...