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.