Duke, Taylor: Diversity

 Upon reading A Call for Unity and Letter from a Birmingham Jail, I realized I had hardly ever pondered what it might have been like for African American people to gain their freedom.  I knew they had overcome slavery, but had never really considered or researched enough to know that they were still enslaved by unjust laws and treatment of a predominately white "democracy." After analyzing the two pieces, I sympathize with those who have faced turmoil nonviolently and with an understanding I find unbelievable given the unfair motives plotted against them. 

            
Slavery ended, but racism did nothing but create a path of continuous destruction throughout the Southern states.  Why are people racist? Why are certain ethnicities treated differently than others, either better or worse? I see no logical answer to these questions other than humans are selfish.  Humans can be unfair when they feel others, even because of pigment, are inequivalent to them.  In King's letter he states "We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." I read this and thought to myself there should be no such division.  There should be no oppressor or oppressed, but equality among all.  It also saddens me that these people had to fight so hard for their freedom in a "democracy."  Doesn't a democracy promote freedom and unity among its people?  I thought so, but it seems that measures must be taken to obtain that and the fact that they were taken in a nonviolent manner should humble all.  Most times gaining freedom is associated with anger and violence, but in both writings the demonstrators are viewed as nonviolent.
                
               
Another idea that supports my view is very clearly stated when King replies to the clergymen's thought that "the demonstrations are unwise and untimely" with "we must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that 'justice too long delayed is justice denied'."  It is very true that if action is not taken as soon as possible, it will be much harder to achieve something after something has long been perceived in a strict manner.  I imagine being a demonstrator having to wait another length of time with a multitude of impatience and empathize with King. The demonstrations, in my opinion, were very timely, but I believe there was room for a little more push, but not enough to provoke violence.

              
To conclude my thoughts, I believe that when action needs to be taken to better a society, no time is a bad time to do so.  The demonstrators were right to stand their ground and handle the situation in a nonviolent manner.  Racism still exists today unfortunately, but because of the efforts of others, I see that African Americans are now accepted into society equally.