“A Call for Unity”, also known as “Statement by Alabama Clergymen” conveys eight white clergymen’s anxiety and discontent with the peaceful means by which the African – American population approached its lifelong struggle for fairness. Trying to employ a rather conciliatory manner, the clergymen urged the Black community to cease their demonstrations and expressed their advocacy of negotiation and cooperation. The statement triggered a reaction from one of the most prominent civil rights activists and leaders at the time, Martin Luther King. He used his carefully chosen words and powerful rhetoric to account for the idea of his vocation and signify the gravity of all that is happening. His reply is eloquent and persuasive, while at the same time indicative of his fervid emotions and innermost desires.
King, a Baptist minister himself, used the clergymen’s criticisms as a tool for proving them wrong and inherently controversial. For example, to their statement “However, we are now confronted by a series of demonstrations by some of our Negro citizens, directed and led in part by outsiders.” he replied with “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere…Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” His claim implied that racial prejudice affects everyone and is detrimental to the society as a whole. Segregation is an ultimate evil that leads to the destruction of relationship ties. It’s pervasive and ubiquitous. There are no “outsiders,” everyone is equally empowered and simultaneously responsible for the consequences of racial animosity. Whites and Blacks are one community, one body, a unity that needs a fair treatment.
King is confident in putting forward his views. He is more than assured of what he is arguing about. His tone is assertive. His letter projects an intransigent attitude. The clergymen categorize the demonstrations as “unwise and untimely.” Once again, King employs convincing words and vivid images to reveal his spiritual anguish and prove the inaccuracy of the label: “But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brother at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick, brutalize… then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait.” This sentence further substantiates his contention that African Americans could not wait any more. Years of physical, psychological and social torment had passed and would continue if not stopped.
The two documents present two incompatible perspectives. The people from both sides look upon the current situation with a different eye as a result of diverse moral codes, environmental circumstances and ascribed social statuses.
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