Ajigbotafe, Olawale: Diversity

Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was a letter that appealed to the eight clergymen about civil rights promised to Blacks but not yet given. The letter also expressed the need for urgent action about giving Blacks the freedom they had been long waiting for.

          

King wrote angrily from his jail cell expressing his mind and warning of  the possibility of violence and instability that could be happen in the community Blacks were not given their rights. King expressed the need for the politicians to stop segregation. He portrayed himself as a person who wanted to gain his rights without violence. However, he also warned them about the outburst that was likely to occur if the request were not granted.

          

He also wrote about the unfair laws that were keeping the Blacks segregated. This line of thought led to the issue of obeying laws. He wrote that it would be right for the Blacks to break unfair laws because an unfair law is not a law at all. But, he hinted that he would be the first to obey all laws provided they are fair and just. King explained that earlier negotiations had not been implemented and promises had not been kept. He was really disappointed in the way desegregation had been handled.

          

King gave some examples of  incidents, like the segregation signs, explaining that only few were actually removed and, in fact, they were later replaced. He also wrote about the churches and their role in desegregation, stating that the churches were not a following the example of Jesus Christ. They actually said that desegregation was a social issue, and thus not their responsibility. King expressed his disappointment in them but also commended some people for the role they had played in helping Blacks gain their rights.

           

In conclusion, he projected the way he wanted the future to be, hoping that the long awaited rights that the Blacks had been denied would be given to them, at the end of his letter, he stated that in the “not too distant tomorrow, the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.”