Daveante Jones named Sidley Scholar

Congratulations to SAU Honors College student Daveante Jones for being named a Sidley Scholar.

Information on Sidley Scholars can be found HERE.

Here is a preview from their Web page:

The Sidley Prelaw Scholars Initiative is designed to increase diversity in law schools by subsidizing the cost of applying to law school for talented financially needy minority students.

“Sidley has a significant commitment to achieving greater ethnic and racial diversity within the legal profession and the firm. We wanted to develop a program that would widen the pipeline by helping to eliminate barriers at an earlier stage in a student’s career,” said Thomas A. Cole, chairman of the firm’s Executive Committee. “Our Diversity Committee and staff are to be congratulated for developing this creative approach.”

Edmundson, Nevin: Diversity

Until we, as people, learned to accept one another without first judging each other based on the color of ones skin, the tension between African-Americans and Caucasians were high due to the discrimination African-Americans had to endure.
        
   
White people were so determined to isolate the Blacks from their everyday life that they made race-based utilities such as: Segregated churches, bathrooms, schools, and many more aspects people of all colors used on a daily basis. For some reason, White people back then could not grasp the idea of an "equal world" and hated the Black people for wanting equality in their life and the generations to follow them.  Had it not been for people like Martin Luther King, the United States might never had moved past where were back then and could quite possibly still be stuck in the same place we were 60 years ago.

   
Alas, the world today isn't as Black and White as people would like for it to be. Even though many people look down on discrimination today, there are still a small number of people who would prefer that we lived in a world that was segregated just as it was back then. It is sad, because the children they raise will have the same ideals that they do, causing tension again and stirring trouble which should have been dead long ago. Sadly, discrimination will never completely go away. There will always be a small percentage who believe in a "superior race", but what they do not seem to realize is that there will never be a perfect utopia they are trying to build. Discrimination has ways of finding new people to single out. There would be a new group of people within the utopia that would be singled out, therefore destroying the utopia they wanted to build so badly.

   
Without realizing it, we as students discriminate based on race all the time. When you observe groups that are hanging out together, very seldom do you see a group with mixed races. Most of the time, it is always all Blacks or all Whites or a group composed entirely of another race. Granted, segregation is more subconscious now rather than intentional, but this ideal perfect utopia that everyone wants to achieve will never come to be because we, as living, breathing humans, are by no means perfect.   

Morris, Robert: Diversity

Despite the fact that there are some glaring differences in the two letters assigned to us,  I found that the most important portion of the letters were their similarities. Anyone can note the fact that these letters were written by the two opposing sides of a very stressful situation. A Call to Unity was written by a group of clergymen who felt that they had nowhere else to go. They felt that they were backed into a corner which is certainly understandable. While I don't agree with their view I can emphasize with their feeling that they were losing what they felt like was just the culture of the land. I of course though empathize with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. because his vision of a new America is the one I live in now. I was more affected though by the blatant racism present in A Call to Unity. As a child I heard the stories that my grandparents told me about growing up in the South during times of heightened racism, but it is always different to read a letter like this. It is almost like I can hear them say it directly to me and that is very creepy. I have never ignored the past but it feels strange to try and place myself in the position of the author or audience of any of the letters we were asked to read. I can hardly wrap my mind around the growth of our nation from that point. We have grown by leaps and bounds from a "negro" not getting to vote to a Black man as president. Thus in conclusion I feel that the letters serve as a sufficient window into the past, a time that few of the people of our generation could even come close to comprehending.

Goecke, Colby: Diversity

"A Call for Unity" and "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" are both well written letters. That said, there are a few very distinct differences in the two as well as in their respective writers.

"A Call for Unity" is written from the perspective of those who agree with the need for change, but aren't necessarily willing to put themselves out in order to achieve it. The clergymen prefer to watch from the sidelines and dictate how things should be done differently, rather than doing something themselves. These men talk of change and applaud those striving for it, yet they do nothing to further the cause. The second issue with the clergymen is the fact that they are making suggestions and accusations about the situation, all while being uninformed and/or willingly turning a blind eye/deaf ear to the facts of the matter. They call for an end to the demonstrations and ask for peaceful negotiations while anyone who knows anything realizes that any hope of that has been dashed by the other Whites in and around Birmingham. I believe the writers of "A Call to Unity" also sought to weaken the overall movement in Birmingham by talk of "outsiders". If the local clergymen could convince the local "negroes" that King and others were outsiders and not part of the local unit, then the "outsiders" power and effectiveness would be severely limited. This would isolate the Birmingham locals and make them much more vulnerable to attack and weaken their cause significantly.

Dr. King's response to "A Call to Unity" was a much better written letter. Dr. King's polite yet clear reprimand of the Birmingham clergymen was commendable indeed. He was careful to incite no furies or arguments with his writing, yet his points were very clear and direct. King saw the big picture and made certain that this fact was evident in his response. He covered the situation in Birmingham in no uncertain words, yet he did not stop there. His explanation of the issue expanded to cover the entire nation. It was obvious in Kings's writing that he was very familiar in dealing with opposition and knew how to handle it effectively and with as little damage as possible.

Franklin, Trey: Diversity

Over the years, there has always been a diversity issue. The time when this issue was strongest was during Martin Luther King Jr.’s “nonviolent campaign.” During his time in Birmingham, Alabama, King was placed under arrest for his nonviolent civil protests. Multiple White clergymen from Birmingham, Alabama published in a local newspaper a letter titled, “A Call for Unity.” After reading this, King responded with his “A Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”  To reflect back on the issue of the diversity and racial tension of this time in American history is important in understanding the diversity of America today.

           

In “A Call for Unity,” eight clergymen detailed the need to end the “demonstrations,” which were led by Martin Luther King Jr.  It also entailed that “Negroes [should] engage in local negotiations and use the courts if rights are being denied” (Wikipedia). Noticing that the clergymen were attempting civility about the situation, I can tell that only after King had entered Birmingham did the clergymen want to do anything about the racial tension between Whites and Blacks. Although that could possibly be false, the only evidence that anyone was doing much of anything noticeable in Birmingham was the letters “A Call for Unity” and “A Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” Within “A Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” King opposes “A Call for Unity” by claiming that if the White community had done something about the issue before; the black community would not have resorted to “demonstrations.” To reflect upon these issues, King had responded to the looking away from ‘unity’ by marching into Birmingham and nonviolently campaigning demonstrations against the discrimination of the Black community.

             

King's nonviolent campaigns and marches showed America that the strong racial tension between Blacks and Whites was in favor of the discrimination of Black people. The Black communities of America, mostly in the South, were no longer going to take that discrimination. So, in an attempt to end or at least lessen the racial tension between Whites and Blacks, King campaigned around the South to show that the Black community was being discriminated against. His campaigns led to the lessening of the racial tension between the Black and White communities and reinforced the ‘unity’ of the two.

White, Zowie: Diversity

I feel that the clergymen who wrote "A Call for Unity" are turning a blind eye to the social and civil injustices in Birmingham. Without the outside influences, the Black community would not have the courage to stand up for their rights. Yes, they do not explicitly promote violence and hatred in their religious and political activities, but the clergymen do not promote equality among all races. Jesus has love for everyone. As men of God and as leaders in their community, they should teach this to their followers. The clergymen suggest using the court system and negotiating with local leaders in the community. How can they suggest this when the Black community has tried this countless times and have been denied their rights? One can always suggest a solution when he or she doesn't live with the issue or predicament. They claim that the demonstrations occurred at the wrong time. There is no such thing as a right time to fight for what one thinks is right.

             

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. responded to "A Call for Unity" with "A Letter from Birmingham Jail." The response was necessary, because it voiced the purpose and motivation behind the demonstrations in Birmingham. As a fellow clergyman, he includes appropriate allusions to the Bible, in order to illustrate his points. I agree with his points, I feel that he needed to edit himself. Yes, the eight clergymen needed to be enlightened, but it does not warrant countless allusions and explanations. The passion is appreciated, but the phrase, "Less is more," should be applied. I believe that Dr. King was a brave man for voicing his opinion. Many forget that he was only a leader who could convey the views of the Black community. This is shown in his appeals to the clergymen. He describes the everyday life and experiences of the Black citizen. His intelligence is displayed, when he mentions Hitler's regime to counter the clergymen's view of blacks' involvement in politics.

Campbell, David: Diversity

Action or complacency. In the case of the racial equality movement of the '60s, this was the primary choice in question. When diversity is suppressed or looked down upon in any way, especially in a legal sense, those affected have an obligation to do something about it. And when it is, in fact, in a legal sense, there is nobody that remains unaffected. A violation of human rights, no matter who it targets, is an ethical offense to each and every individual who is indeed a human.


The Alabama clergymen have respectable intentions in "A Call for Unity," advocating a peaceful, law-abiding resolution. However, their ideals for diffusing the conflict and its racial tensions are impractical at best. In a nation or state where the government itself is complacent and suppresses meaningful change, any strictly law-abiding movement can be put down with only the slightest bit of effort. Also, it is ironic that the government put so much emphasis on suppressing non-violent protest actions when it is obvious that in a stark majority of cases the violence during this time period can be attributed to the police force opposing the equal rights movement. Thus the suggestions, if not subtle demands, of the clergy are contradictory and at cross purposes to the cause of equality among all human beings.


Martin Luther King Jr.'s response to his fellow clergymen is calm, collected, while also firm and resolute. Whereas the clergy's intentions are respectable, King's are noble and morally driven. Just as there is a difference between fleeting happiness and internal joy, King points out there is a difference between merely having order and having real peace. In lieu of condoning civil obedience at the expense of justice, King advocates an ideal that, as far as American government goes, was conceptualized as long ago as the writing of the United States Constitution - when the government is unjust, the citizens are morally obligated to overthrow the government in favor of a new one. While in practice, this concept is more figurative, as the federal government was not literally overthrown, the equal rights movement seeks to accomplish just this.

Walton, Arain: Diversity

I believe everyone should have the same rights and so when I read these two articles I was filled with emotion.

              I grew up in an all white home with almost no contact with black people and yet I was raised to respect people as humans, I wasn't taught to look down on people because of there skin tone. Because of this upbringing I was angry at the tone of the clergy writing " A Call to Unity". They where lying right through there teeth. They acted like they cared and wanted to do right by the people when really they just wanted the embarrassing protests to stop. Also wight the protests going on businesses lost money. What town wants to have a bad economy?

            When I read "Letter from Birmingham Jail" I was filled with passion and agreed wholeheartedly.  King was right about so much. The Whites where making everything unfair but saying they would work with the Black community. The Black community tried to be polite, to talk, to negotiate, it just had no effect. So they decided to start protesting nonviolently. Even then they were being respectful. I know so far it seems I'm sticking up for the Black side so I'm going to pause and try to see it from the perspective of a White person then...

            I can see why White people were upset because all their lives they grew up seeing Blacks as inferior. But, I believe I'd start seeing them as equal people when they stood up for themselves. If someone is going to fight for something that bad they deserve to get it.

Mahelona, Ryan: Diversity

During the civil rights movement, the Black and White communities had many violent confrontations. Within this sea of violence, a nonviolent protestor named Martin Luther King, Jr. is the most well remembered figure of the times. After reading and comparing the letter presented to Dr. King and his response it is apparent that both letters carried strong emotions and addressed serious issues. The clergy who wrote the letter “A Call for Unity” were very clever and careful when putting together their words.

                  

 These men of the cloth wrote a short, to-the-point letter asking that Dr. King to not condone the resistance that the Black community was engaged in, no matter how nonviolent it was. The letter, when read the first time, seemed very respectable with little mention of racism. The letter asks him to take proper steps to appeal the things he thinks to be wrong and even applauds the police for being so calm and collected. The thing that stood out most to me was that they asked the “Negro” community to take action through courts and state representatives when they were not allowed to vote! Reading this now, it seems very belittling and racist but for the day it was written it seemed very calm and even a bit friendly.

                  

After receiving the letter, it is apparent in his writings that Dr. King felt much disrespected. I like the strong use of biblical comparison and quoting. I also really liked how he addressed them in a similar respectful fashion but also was not hesitant to deliver punches. He tells the clergy that his nonviolent protest methods are nowhere near as radical as their words suggest. I can assume that writing those words during that era was something that was considered very disrespectful and abnormal. My favorite line from his letter was near the end. “If I have said anything in this letter that overstates the truth and indicates an unreasonable impatience, I beg you to forgive me. If I have said anything that understates the truth and indicates my having a patience that allows me to settle for anything less than brotherhood, I beg God to forgive me.”

Pinson, Hali: Diversity

Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most important people in American history. He was a peaceful, nonviolent civil rights activist who stood for the rights of every citizen and worked for equality for African Americans. Eight clergy from white churches wrote “A Call for Unity,” saying that Dr. King’s actions were “unwise and untimely;” to which he replied with his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” He explained that just because something was a law did not make it fair to all people. The timing of his actions was very justified. The situation in Birmingham was reaching a boiling point and needed a single push to either help or hurt civil rights. Instead of rioting, molesting officials, or defacing public or private properties, the demonstrators simply refused to follow the laws that oppressed and abused them as African Americans. Furthermore, they accepted the consequences of their actions and peacefully submitted to the officials: Dr. King did not fight his jail sentence since he knew that he had broken the law, just or not. Dr. King used the example of Hitler’s law stating that any man caught helping the Jews would be put to death as an unjust law that men ignored out of a moral sense of right and wrong. The Hungarian Freedom Fighters ignored Hitler’s biased law because they knew that it was unjust and therefore not upholding it was the right thing to do. Dr. Martin Luther King was just in his actions, as well as in his moral integrity, and using his leadership and charisma was what kept the Civil Rights movement moving forward. If Dr. King had attempted to use violence or force, nothing that he accomplished would have been possible.

Hao, Jiayin: Diversity

After reading the two letters, it's easy to see that they take opposite positions, arguing about a problem which has bothered the world for such a long time--the racial problem. The  argument over what is fair and free seems never have an answer.
  
The writers of " A Call for Unity" are eight clergymen who wish to treat some “negroes” as outsiders in order to preserve the status quo. They argued that the demonstrators had disrupted the social order. Like most White people at that time they believed they equal rights would eventually be granted to Blacks.
  
On the other side, the "Letter from a Brimingham Jail" was written by Martin Luther King, Jr., who led the Black people to fight for their rights. In this long letter, which was written in the jail, he noted that all people live in the same world and they deserve the same rights. Also, he wrote about how the existing laws treated Black people unfairly. King believed that the United States needed to give Black people their entitlements in order to let them live the America Dream. At the end of the letter, he expressed his desire about changing and improving the United States.
  
As far as I am concerned, the racial problem has been argued for too long time. Society has given us a good answer: we are all equal. There is no reason for anyone to deprive other people of their rights. I believe that although we can't achieve 100% fairness for all, we still can aspire to a country and a world that is a big family. Every person living in this big family would be sisters or brothers instead of masters and maids. However, compared to the past, society has improved much and the United States elected a Black president. If King were alive live today he would see that his dream has come true.

Wall, Adam: Diversity

What did Martin Luther King Jr. want? Equality, nothing more. He didn’t want special rights for the Blacks that had been mistreated throughout the years. He didn’t want compensation for what the White community had done to his race since colonial times. He just wanted the same rights as any other man or woman in America. He wanted his children to be able to have a good education and to not be judged because of the color of their skin but for the character of their being. He wanted a nation where the thing that defined you were the actions you made in life.  But Dr. King was not the only person in America that wanted something. The eight ministers and rabbis of Birmingham also wanted something. Or, better yet, they didn’t want something. They didn’t want change, not during their lifetimes. They knew that the treatment of the Black community had to change but they didn’t want to have anything to do with the change. And, if there had to be change they did not want this change to cause ripples in the social fabric. The ministers seemed to sympathize with the Black community but they were not willing to help them down the road to their freedom and ending their oppression.

Dr. King knew that the only way to freedom was through peaceful protests. Violent protests would only incite even more violence and worsen the conditions for the African-American community and those who were helping them. This was the main point Dr. King was trying to make in his letter. He never incited violence in his followers. But as has always been the case, when people see violence that is the only thing they will associate with protests and revolutions.  But Dr. King weathered all the criticism with the one thing that people cannot argue against: reason. Through patient reasoning King strived to inform the people of America that his intentions were noble and his methods were noble as well. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Dr. King showed that all he wanted was equality for every man, woman, and child in America and he showed that he had no intentions of inciting violence in his marches. He wanted peace and equality.

Goff, Jacob: Diversity

       Martin Luther King was a man of eloquent words and a great passion for equality. His Letter from Birmingham Jail written in response to the Call to Unity was a response to clergymen who were trying to slow the progress of African-Americans towards equality. King believed that he was similar to the eighth-century prophets who went out to spread God's word. He needed to go to the aid of people who needed his wisdom and experience. His goal was to unite the Christian leaders, Black and White, under one common goal. 
      

King had a very smart approach. He did everything he could peacefully and within the law in spite of what White segregationists were doing. He urged his fellow freedom seekers to do the same and most did. When a tactic did not work, King asked that his people to use another nonviolent tactic. This was usually hard because the people were getting inpatient. They were impatient because the freedom they wanted was coming so slowly. Of course, one cannot blame them for their impatience because other countries who were trying to achieve the same goal were getting there much faster.  
      

The fight for freedom was long and many suffered violence and death, but with the help of great men like Martin Luther King Jr., it was a fight won. If it were not for determined men like him who knows where our country would be today.

Wetherington, Rachel: Diversity

During the 1960s, America was in the midst of two different wars: one overseas in Vietnam and one on the home front known as the Civil Rights Movement. Diversity was far from many people's minds, save for a select few, because of what was happening in Vietnam. However, one man in particular, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was especially focused on diversity and trying to achieve acceptance of it. Segregation was universally practiced in the South during this time, and it was the main goal of Dr. King to help bring an end to it. Many people opposed his attempts in doing this, which resulted in a letter entitled "A Call For Unity" by eight white Birmingham clergymen that was published in a local newspaper. Dr. King's response to this letter was written while he was in jail, fittingly called "Letter From a Birmingham Jail." Both of these letters played a role in the eventual acceptance of diversity.
   
"A Call For Unity" was written on April 12, 1963. The letter urged "Negroes" to stop their demonstrations. These demonstrations were "directed and led in part by outsiders," according to the letter, referring to Dr. King. The clergymen make a weak attempt to try to be understanding in the Black's situation, but the arguments are not in any way convincing. The letter says that they "agree with certain local Negro leadership which has called for honest and open negotiation" about the racial issues but also states that the demonstrations were "unwise and untimely." The clergymen were merely trying to do what almost all the other whites did: promise change in the future and give Blacks false hope so they would discontinue their demonstrations. The veiled message is one that Dr. King picked up on, and as a result he wrote his "Letter From a Birmingham Jail." Without the clergymen's "A Call For Unity," Dr. King would not have had the opportunity to write one of his most famous and influential works that would play a large role in the Civil Rights Movement, in turn allowing for a more universal acceptance of diversity.
   
Dr. King's "Letter From a Birmingham Jail" was written just four days after "A Call For Unity," on April 16, 1963. Dr. King was in jail for a petty charge of demonstrating without a permit, that in itself highlighting the prejudices evident during this time. Although he was in jail, Dr. King did not give up or sit and wait to get out while injustices were still being done. He was not from Birmingham, but came because of an invitation from the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights to curb the injustices. In his letter, Dr. King compared his aid to the Biblical stories of prophets and the Apostle Paul, saying he was "compelled to bring the gospel of freedom beyond [his] hometown."  Dr. King was committed to nonviolent protest and became a symbol for any committed to spread acceptance of diversity and eliminate injustices due to prejudices.
   
Although Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had to face countless oppositions such as in "A Call For Unity," he was able to maintain a nonviolent defense, as seen in his "Letter From a Birmingham Jail," to expose the injustices done as a result of prejudices and the Whites' refusal to accept diversity. In turn, he was able to lead one of the most important movements in America's history; that is, the acceptance of others' differences, or in other words, diversity. 

Hamilton, Josh: Diversity

After reading “A Call for Unity” and “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” I must express that my feelings align with Dr. Martin Luther King’s ideology. In a perfect world the wishes of the eight clergymen that wrote “A Call for Unity” could most definitely be met. They wish for the desegregation through negotiation, which of itself is a noble cause. What they do not realize though is what MLK points out. Negotiation won’t simply just happen, it must be forced. The oppressor will never fully understand the plight of the oppressed. Though, in a perfect world segregation wouldn’t exist and reform would not be necessary.

             

The claims that are made by the White clergymen are for the most part false. Though their wishes are noble at the surface level, they turn a blind eye to what is reality. For an example, they claim that the marches and other demonstrations that are put on by members of the "Negro" community are “unwise and untimely” stating that there are better alternatives to achieve the goals that the Black community wishes to achieve. This is not true, seeing as negotiations were called for and ignored previously, thus proving that the demonstrations were necessary for proper reform. They also claim that the actions taken by “outsiders” have “not contributed to the resolution of our local problems” and even claimed that they incite hate and violence. This is flat out untrue. Obviously, seeing as segregation has now ended for the most part the actions that were taken did contribute to the resolution of the local problems. Also the goal of the reformers was to end the hatred and violence that was currently ensuing, which was achieved.

            The clergymen commended the local police force for their attempts to remain nonviolent. This angers me. I fully agree with Dr. Martin Luther King when he states that their nonviolence only helps to preserve the system of segregation. They are similar to the lukewarm church of Laodicea. They are not performing outright evil acts of violence, but nor are they performing acts of justice by aiding the call for desegregation. Their restraint actually partially promotes evil, because it creates a rallying point for those who want to continue the system of segregation. They can look at it and say that their slate is clean and nothing has been done wrong because they are nonviolent, which in the end hurts the desegregation movement.

             

Though their motives are indeed pure and sincere I believe the eight clergymen who wrote “A Call for Unity” are actually a thorn in the side to the desegregation movement, and I am personally glad that MLK decided to respond to that particular letter. He said what needed to be said to make a point that is not common sense.

Guy, Lacey: Diversity

While reading A Call for Unity, many feelings swelled up inside me. Most of those

 feelings had to do with disgust and confusion. It's hard to grasp the fact that people are

 treated differently than others when I've grown up in such a diverse world, but reading

 this made me realize how strongly i feel about people being mistreated. 

   

On April 12, 1963, the Alabama clergymen wrote A Call for Unity to address the

 peaceful protests, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Birmingham Alabama. The clergy

 described Dr. King's protests as "unwise" and "untimely". Those words irritated me. 

How could someone judge a protest as unwise when so many people were being

 treated unfairly? It seems as if the wise thing to do in that situation would be stand up. I

 do not see anything wrong with groups coming together to fight for a cause, especially

 when they do it in a peaceful manner. Also, I believe it is never the wrong time to stand

 up for your rights when you're being treated unfairly. Things needed to be changed as

 soon as possible in hopes that the future would be brighter. The fact that the clergymen

 wanted to move the protests to the courts made it seem as if they saw the protestors as

 doing something wrong. When did acting on you rights, from The Bill of Rights, become

 a crime? If all they wanted to do was push "problems" aside and persecute innocent

 people, i feel as if they were not ready to deal with the changed that was needed. It's as

 if they were delaying the inevitable.

   
On April 16, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King wrote a letter in response to A Call for

 Unity titled Letter from a Birmingham Jail. In this letter, King described the protests

 through his own perspective and told the clergymen that he was not willing to give up

 until the injustice was fixed. He addressed the clergymen's misuse of the word

 "outsiders" and went on the state "Anyone who lives inside the United States can never

 be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds." I support this statement fully. 

The country needed to come together as a whole to stand against the injustice, because

 we all should  be equal. The rest of the letter entailed King's hopes for the future. I

 believe Martin Luther King's letter was inspirational. Not only did he calmly express his

 opinions, he did it with such poise. He didn't necessarily try to talk down to or condemn

 the clergymen; he only tried to open their eyes to change. In the end, he even

 apologized, hoping no hard feelings were exchanged. If more people focused on the

 issues instead of lashing out, i believe this country would be more open to change.

   

King's words calmed me after being so frustrated from reading A Call for Unity. 

His letter gave me hope that there are people in this world who are willing to stand up

 for diversity, just like Dr. King, and that diversity is something that still needs to be

 worked on today, because it would be horrifying to ever have such racial prejudice

 again.

Bowling, Emily: Diversity

            In 1963 Blacks in the South began to stand up for themselves. They had seen their fellows tortured and killed for way too long. They wanted justice and wouldn’t settle until they received it. They began to demonstrate, sit-in, and march to bring attention to this problem.

“A Call for Unity” was written by eight white clergymen in Birmingham, Alabama in April of that year. It was such a big controversy that it ended up being published in a local Birmingham newspaper. The eight clergymen urged Blacks to end their demonstrations, because they were being led by outsiders. The clergymen thought it would be better for Blacks to use the courts to negotiate the rights that they were being denied. It was not long after this letter was published that Martin Luther King Jr. responded with “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. Martin Luther King Jr. responded in a very mature fashion, he did not lash out at the clergymen he just simply stated that the demonstrations were the only way that Blacks could get through to people. He stated that going to the courts would have been a good idea, but he knew good and well that the White men who ran the courts would never open their ears to what Blacks had to say. Martin Luther was a Christian man who came to Birmingham to change the hearts of people and make things right for the people in Birmingham.

            

 I agree with Martin Luther King Jr., he knew Whites would not listen to his people. The loud demonstrations were the only way to get through to them. It saddens me to think that the demonstrations were their last resort. I do not understand how Whites could be so deaf to change. They would intentionally hurt Blacks just to avoid integration. I respect King for the way he addressed the clergymen. I believe the sit-ins and demonstrations that Blacks resorted to in 1963, paved the way for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the rest of the African-American community to eventually integrate the town of Birmingham.

Beavers, Michelle: Diversity

After Martin Luther King and his followers took action to gain rights and freedom, Doctor King was thrown in the Birmingham jail. While he was serving his time in jail, the letter "A Call for Unity" was printed in the local newspaper. This letter called King's efforts "unwise and untimely" and says that simple negotiation would have worked just fine. After Doctor King read this letter, he responded with the "Letter from Birmingham Jail," which explains to the clergymen why Blacks were taking action and the reasoning behind the actions taken. Reading King's response, I believe King was very respectful, talking to the clergymen as equals, and stated the reasoning for his actions very well. 
   
Doctor King believes there are four steps to a nonviolent campaign: collecting facts, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action. Everyone knew and can see that racial injustice existed in Birmingham, especially in the courts. So the facts were plain in sight. Then, Doctor King states that Blacks tried negotiating with the merchants kindly, asking the merchants to take down racial signs. However, as King pointed out to the clergymen, "A few signs, briefly removed, returned; others remained." Negotiation efforts were simply ignored and pushed to the side. King was always for nonviolence, so the next step taken was self-purification. This was when Blacks gathered for workshops and asked themselves, "Are you able to accept blows without retaliating?" and "Are you able to endure the ordeal of jail?" Doctor King knew how he wanted the protesting to go, and he did not want violence to be a apart of it. Lastly, direct action was taken to start tension. Tension was not made, tension that already existed was merely brought out into the open for everyone to acknowledge. With this tension, the ignored issue of blacks bing treated unfairly could not be ignored much longer.
   
Doctor King did not believe that any kind of direct action could be called timely or wise, at least not to the oppressor. King states, "freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." King is right in this aspect. The oppressed will eventually come out; they can not remain oppressed forever. Any privileged person or group will never think to voluntarily give up privileges to someone less fortunate. So any time an unprivileged person or group asks to be put on or looked at on the same level, it is considered untimely and unwise.   
   
In the "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Doctor King was very respectful in everything he said. He addressed the clergymen as equals at the beginning and end of the letter, saying "fellow clergymen," and "Christian brother." King is not sour or mad at any mistreatment done to him or his people in the letter. He simply wants changes to be made. He wants racial prejudice done with. He says "our great nation," pointing out that we are all from the same place and are all Americans. King wants these clergymen to understand that he is not against them; King simply wants his "Christian brothers" to help him and his people gain their rights.

Sorsby, Amy: Diversity

Martin Luther King was one of the few men in this ‘free’ country who stood up for what he believed in, but his only problem was he was in the 1960s and also – a Black man. African Americans were being pushed to their limit by the government by not being able to vote and being slaves to White Americans. It took a few African-American leaders to stand up and defend them all. Even some children stood up because King inspired them. That’s what he did by writing “Letter From Birmingham Jail.”

            MLK uses more than one example and supports each statement with appropriate use of his own knowledge. They said that his strike was “unwise and untimely” and he begins the letter with sarcasm stating that he knows they are good, genuine men. Then he argued that human rights must come before unjust laws. He defended the impatience of civil rights protestors, as well as their use of civil disobedience in order to force the community to acknowledge and to respond to serious problems that were happening in Birmingham. He stated, "Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension, that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue."

            MLK also argued that the laws were unjust. He said that they were morally unjust because the Bible talks about unjust acts and segregation is definitely unjust. After, he argued that segregation was unjust because unjust laws do not follow democratic process and Blacks couldn’t vote therefore it was not a democracy. He stands between two extremes of Black action. He isn’t sitting there and letting it all happen, but he does not hate the White man. He warns that without his nonviolent movement, the extreme of Blacks hating Whites will win out and cause more violence.

           

He expresses his disappointment with the church because they are not even trying to do anything about the situation. The church altogether had no impact on society anymore, but he had faith in some of the members of the churches because they had come to him individually.  

             

African Americans were pushed to the limit. They all were either fed up and striking against the White man or too scared to say what they felt. America should never make someone feel like they should be too scared to state their opinion. That’s the background on why he wrote his letter to the council; he could not resist any longer without saying anything and he thought that everyone else should too.

Owens, Landon: Diversity

A nation founded by immigrants. This is how America began and it is how it has continued to grow and change. Diversity has shaped America throughout its existence. It has brought racism, prejudice, and turmoil as well as created a unique culture found nowhere else on earth. It was what makes America the nation that it is. Now more than ever, our culture is becoming even more diverse. If it weren’t for a series of important events however, our country’s unique diversity would not exist in the same way.

The essays, A Call for Unity and A Letter from Birmingham Jail, show the racial tensions in the U.S. during the Sixties. Ideas on diversity were much different in those times than they are now. That was a time when there was a much larger gap between Blacks and Whites. The two letters show both sides presented in an educated way without showing hatred. It is important that both sides are presented in such a way so that they can meet on common ground. Both essays were sincere attempts to somehow come to some type of peaceful resolution.  This was during one of the most important times in history for our nation to become a diverse but unified country. Through this time period, as well as others, diversity became a key part of American culture.

There has always been diversity in America, but not always cooperation and understanding. These two letters show an important time in history when diversity was not accepted as it is today. In my life, I have seen a large increase in diversity since coming to college. I came from a small town with a limited diversity. However, in college, there is more diversity in every class than there was back home. The diversity of America has been an essential point to changing it. It will continue to change over the years and shape our world each and every day.