Pia Bingham

History 1700

The Fight for Racial Equality

Martin Luther King Jr. was an extremely significant figure for racial equality. He

stood up for something that is still a huge problem in modern day society. How is it possible

for such a degree of racism to still exist some 50 years later? His letter puts into

perspective an asserting that no great cause was ever realized without pressure to the

privileged groups who keep the oppressed in oppression. If there was a cause worth

fighting for, pain and punishment became a small factor in the pursuit of freedom for all

people including those who were, at the time, being segregated. Letter from Birmingham

Jail is a very important piece in the timespan of history because as a black man, he was

standing up for what was right for all human equality, no matter how hard or dangerous it

was and challenged the notion that white Americans where superior to African Americans.

The civil rights movement is the history of segregation and anti-black traditions.

After the Civil War, the 13th amendment passed, which abolished slavery (American

Civilization: A Brief History). To enforce segregation and suppress black voting rights, white

supremacist in power created local laws and ordinances that made it easier to lynch, attack,

and even murder African Americans and denied them their basic human rights. At the

time, the Jim Crow laws forced segregation down the throats of black people, pushing them

even more towards the civil rights movement. Then Brown v. Board of Education set a

major precedent for the movement of equality since it clearly violated the Equal Protection

Clause in the 14th amendment putting the constitution on the side of racial equality. The

Birmingham campaign also marked a significant turning point for African Americans and

desegregation because the violence of police brutality was seen throughout the country

since the protests were nationally televised. Public Safety Commissioner Eugene Bull

1
 Pia Bingham
History 1700

Connor also lost his job after ordering police dogs and water hoses against youth at the

Childrens March in Birmingham which helped to show how entrenched racism was in law

enforcement and how savagely violent people of color where treated. It also helped to

weaken the Jim Crow laws which were beginning to be seen as unconstitutional and

degrading since separate but equal was anything but that.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a pastor and a social activist that led many boycotts and

non-violent protest for the civil rights movement. He was president of the National

Association for the Advancement of Colored People and led the Montgomery Bus boycotts

which led to the desegregation of public transportation. He was also part of the Southern

Christian Leadership Conference which promoted the nonviolent protest for the civil rights

reform. He also led a massive protest in 1663 in Birmingham, Alabama where he was jailed

and the inspiration for his letter in which he wrote about his theory of nonviolent protest.

Dr. King wrote, 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. Later that year he delivered his I Have A Dream address calling an

end to racism. At the age of 35, Martin Luther King Jr became the youngest person to have

received the Nobel Piece price ("Martin Luther King Jr. - Biography"). Through all his work he

showed how dedicated he was to the Civil Rights Movement and accomplished that by using his

intellect, bravery, and passion to help dismantle the persecution and segregation of African

Americans. Then on the night of April 4th, 1968, as he was standing on a balcony of his motel

room in Memphis, Tennessee he was shot dead by an escaped fugitive. A few days later,

President Lyndon Johnson called for a national day of mourning as this was such devastation for

many through the nation ("Martin Luther King Jr. - Biography").

2
 Pia Bingham
History 1700

As a man who was truly brilliant, intelligent, and highly educated, he uses his

passion and his dream to one day see a nation where racism and segregation no longer

exist. As a black man himself, he faced being assaulted and persecuted for his beliefs in

equality. He formed his ideas from his Christian faith as way to navigate the Civil right

movement, and from Mohandas Gandhi which furthered the nonviolent protest and

progression of equality for all people.

In one of the most eloquent and refined letters I have ever read, Martin Luther King

Jr. writes a letter in response to a statement made by eight white leaders from the South on

April 16th, 1963. He begins by giving the reason for his presence at Birmingham. He then

explains who he is in the community and, in a way, his credentialing and background as to

what his purpose was in being there. He also goes on to write about the injustice of the

community upholding the unethical treatment of black people and the devastatingly

oppressive segregation so many Negros are forced to endure. He takes time in his letter to

elaborate on why it is they chose to protest non-violently as well as thoroughly explains how

they had come to the decision, including the steps, that were followed to reach this direct

action of non-violent protest. Such vivid imagery is created in his letter of the horrors

black people faced when he is describing, But when you have seen vicious mobs lynching

your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim. He

dispelled the myth that the black community was rushing to receive equal rights, as if the

flow of time itself would somehow solve an inequality that had never happened in the past,

that oppressed people should remain oppressed, and gave the notion that if a person of

color had pent up emotions they be allowed to let these emotions be released in nonviolent

ways.

3
 Pia Bingham
History 1700

There is a sense of being there for oneself, feeling and sensing the injustices, fears,

and abuse that segregation caused people of color. In his letter, he also states that there are

just and unjust laws, So segregation is not only politically, economically, and sociologically

unsound, but it is morally wrong and sinful. He also brings up the idea that oppressed

people should not remain oppressed and gave the notion that if a person of color had pent

up emotions they be allowed to let these emotions be released in nonviolent ways. Dr. King

also states what a disappointment exists for the white moderate and for the church, who he

had hoped would be a bigger advocate to stand up against segregation and ultimately

racism. He then closes with a final wish that instead of commending the police force, who

reacted with such unrestrained brutality to the black community, we recognize those who

stood up against segregation and for their heroism against racism for all to be treated

equally and with the dignity and respect basic human life deserves.

Martin Luther King Jr. stood up for something that is still a huge problem in our

society as well as in our modern-day world. How is it possible for such a degree of racism to

still exist 50 years later? I feel like it was a very important piece in the timespan of history

because as a black man, he was standing up for what the right to freedom for all African-

Americans, no matter how treacherous or how much opposition he faced. If there is a cause

worth fighting for, pain and punishment become a small factor in the pursuit of freedom

for all people including those who were, at the time being segregated. Dr. King really puts

that into perspective by asserting that no great cause was ever realized without pressure to

the privileged groups who keep the oppressed in oppression.

4
 Pia Bingham
History 1700

Works Cited

American Civilization: A Brief History

King, Martin Luther, Jr. "Letter from Birmingham Jail." Letter. Aug. 1963. The Negro Is Your

Brother. Vol. 212. N.p.: The Atlantic Monthly, n.d. 78-88. Print.

"Martin Luther King Jr. - Biography". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 13 Apr 2017