Hawron, Annette: Diversity

If something is worth having, it is worth fighting for. I have never been informed 

as to who first said that, but I do know that it holds much truth for certain things. 

Martin Luther King Jr. believed vehemently that African-Americans had just as much 

right to live, work, vote, and rest as the White majority of his time did. However, he 

fought for that right in ways that some thought were "unwise and untimely."      

Nonviolence was his method of proving to the "white majority" that segregation was 

unjust. Sit-ins, marches, and gatherings were all tactics to cause "tension." Not bad 

tension as an Englishman would have felt during the bombings during WWII, 

but a "tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and 

racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood." Dr. King made a 

statement with his subtle actions. He showed America that negotiations aren't always 

the way to resolve issues, action will be needed at some time though it need not 

be violent or direct, that peaceful and indirect action can convict others of current 

standings. 

        
        

One "white brother from Texas" wrote Dr. King a letter that basically said he was in 

favor of what Dr. King taught but didn't see why all the urgency was necessary. Most 

likely-from my observation-this man was compromising his beliefs for social acceptance.

 Dr. King's response to the letter was a clarification on the definition of time. He said that 

time is neutral and that it can be destructive or constructive but it will not affect 

circumstances by itself. If we want to see a change in the areas that we live in, then we 

need to start acting toward that goal methodically and with a clear mind; not hastily and 

unorganized.

What I personally found striking about Martin Luther King Jr.'s response to "A Call 

for Unity" was that no matter whether he was admonishing, correcting, or exonerating 

he wrote with a heart and a mind that was full of love for both White people and 

African-Americans and that he sought not to offend anyone but to direct and encourage 

everyone to accept one another so there may be peace between races.