Zigler, Jessica: Diversity

After reading both “A Call for Unity” and “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” I have come to appreciate both pieces of work for different reasons. Although I may agree with one letter more than the other, I can see where both sides are coming from. Times were much different then, and while reading both pieces of writing I tried to keep that in mind. Regardless of their messages, both letters were written very well and show a lot about what was going on at that time.
   
The eight clergymen who wrote “A Call for Unity” wrote the letter in 1963. Those men grew up in a world very different from the one that I live in now. In their time, what Martin Luther King, Jr. was doing was very strange, and it was not yet normal at that time. Today, African Americans have equal rights, but at that time, things were much different.  I believe that what Martin Luther King, Jr. was doing was right, but I cannot say that if I was raised in those times, that I would have felt the same way. The people who were raised at that time were taught things that are entirely different from the things people today are taught. I find it very impressive that the clergymen wrote their letter in the way that they did. It was very professional and strayed away from racism more than I would have thought this type of letter would have at this time. Today, the letter appears racist, but in those days, I think many people would not have viewed it that way.
  
I was very impressed by Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” It addressed all of the thoughts that the clergymen presented and did so in a respectful way. I really liked how King referenced the Bible in some areas of the letter and I thought those references fit in very well with points he was trying to make. I also liked when he pointed out the fact that they were saying his acts were those of an extremist. He was trying to stand up for what he thought was right and do so in a nonviolent way, and these men were making it sound like his behavior was crazy.  I believe that King’s behavior was justified, and I think his letter back to the clergymen proved it in a very civilized way.