O'Neal, Kara: Diversity

"A Call for Unity", written by eight White clergymen native to Alabama, addressed the peaceful protests led by Martin Luther King in Birmingham. In their letter, the clergymen expressed their disagreement with King's nonviolent protests. They said the protests, both 'untimely and unwise,' would gain the "Negro" community nothing. They would only lead to more violence. The clergymen implored the African-American community to take their case of denied rights to the courts rather than protest for their rights in the streets.

I do not understand or agree with the clergymen's argument. How could they, the clergymen, expect the African-American community to go to the courts to argue for their rights, to argue for justice when there was injustice towards the them in the courts at the time? Any Black who went to court would not have been dealt with fairly. Protesting in the streets was their only hope for gaining their rights.

"Letter from a Birmingham Jail" was Martin Luther King's response to the clergymen's "A Call for Unity". In his letter, King pointed out how long the African-American community had been suffering from discrimination and injustice. He also pointed out that the they had been willing to negotiate, to wait. But the time for waiting had passed and it was time for action. King poignantly got his point across about the harsh reality faced by African Americans at the time by using several examples of discrimination that took place daily. King explained in great depth and detail the true meaning of justice. He used several prominent biblical and historical figures as examples of justice. King also criticized the White church and its leadership for not helping the Black community gain the justice they rightfully deserved.

I completely agree with King's words. Law and order cannot exist without justice. The Black community had tolerated injustice long enough and it was time for them to take a stand. King didn't call for violence he merely asked the White community to understand where he and his fellow African Americans were coming from.

Both letters are from opposite ends of the spectrum. "A Call for Unity" is a poor excuse for attempting to reach out to the African-American community and to tell them how they can gain justice. "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" is a powerful call for true justice and equal rights among all people.

Marsh, Daly: Diversity

After reading A Call For Unity, written by eight clergymen from Birmingham, Alabama, and A Letter From Birmingham Jail, written in return by Martin Luther king Jr, I Acknowledge the struggles between Blacks and Whites. The conflicts between two completely opposite communities living in the city.
  
In the two letters, there are two completely different stories being told. The clergymen claim that African Americans should stop protesting. The letter says that the protesting is not helping anyone, but only causing more trouble to the society. Also, the letter states that African Americans are not protesting because they need to, but because outside opinions are influencing them to respond.
   
In my opinion, this is an untrue and unfair statement to make against African Americans. If they would not have protested, there would not be any tension between the two races. Tension, is what makes people change or notice what is wrong. Without the community standing up for themselves, nothing would have happened. Clergymen argued that the fight doesn't need to be fought through demonstrations, but handled in court if they thought something was unfair. In contrast, the society was not completely 'equal.' Even churches were segregated, even though in the eyes of God everyome is created equal. Discrimination was supported because no one stood up against it.
   
Martin Luther King Jr. and his well written response, A Letter From Birmingham Jail, stood up for the wrongs in discrimination. The demonstrations that Mr. king and his community conducted are what changed the way discrimination is depicted. Every time someone stood up, they were told to 'wait' by higher powers. Mr. King announced that he was tired of waiting. The 'wait' turned into 'never,' and something had to be done. He created tension with his nonviolent demonstrations that forced a bigger community to notice what needed to be changed.
   
In conclusion, discrimination is wrong, and should not be practiced. Racism is still a problem today, but because of Mr. King and his demonstrations racism is decreasing every generation. Without someone standing up for what they believe in, nothing would be as it is today.
    

Sams, Sawyer: Diversity

The letters, “A Call for Unity” and “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” both address the issue of segregation and civil rights movements during the 1960s. Each letter shows a different perspective of the subject allowing a better understanding of how each side feels about it.
   
The clergymen behind “A Call for Unity” saw the civil rights demonstrations as disruptive and unnecessary. They believed the demonstrators should take more peaceful action by going to officials and the courts. When Martin Luther King Jr. wrote “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” he made it clear that they tried to go about these issues peacefully, but no action was taken in response to their peaceful actions. King argued that their demonstrations were the only way to get these issues recognized. The clergymen also said the demonstrations were “unwise and untimely.” King argued this also by asking how much longer should they wait before they take action.
   
While I understand what the clergymen wanted, King had some valid points. He and the rest of the Black community felt that not enough action had been taken in desegregating their communities. I also agree with King when he said the demonstrations were not “ unwise and untimely.” I believe they were long overdue since the treatment of Black people in many public places had not been changed. I think their demonstrations were needed since sufficient changes in the civil rights of Black people were not shown. Their demonstrations were an effective way of showing what they wanted.  Eventually, they led to more changes being made and a fairer way of life.  

Parks, Caleb: Diversity

As I sit here, attempting to write, I find myself asking, “Was this really once the face of the country I love?” Did a justice system that disregarded African-American rights actually exist in the United States? How did people allow such injustice to endure for such a long time? Furthermore, I wonder at the blindness of those in the South during the sixties and even today.

“We recognize the natural impatience of people who feel that their hopes are slow in being realized, (A Call for Unity)” writes a group of clergymen. Perhaps, these White clergymen just wanted the African-American population of the day to sit idle while the Whites continued to run over African Americans. “My friends, I must say to you that we have not made a single gain in civil rights without determined legal and nonviolent pressure. (Dr. King)” Therefore, after following the clergymen's instructions, the African-American population would have gotten nowhere. Besides, I don't understand why demonstrations and such caused such “hatred and violence” as the article claims. Perhaps I am just misinformed, but I don't see any harm in bus boycotts, or requesting to eat in “White” establishments, or sit in the front of the bus. The only people who caused “hatred and violence” were the whites who chose to react in that way. Dr. King wrote, “In your statement you assert that our actions, even though peaceful, must be condemned because they precipitate violence. But is this a logical assertion? Isn't this like condemning a robbed man because his possession of money precipitated the evil act of robbery?” The Supreme Court even stated that it is unjust for the public to hinder any person who is attempting to gain or regain his or her inherent, human rights.

The clergymen later write, “We do not believe that these days of new hope are days when extreme measures are justified in Birmingham, (A Call for Unity)” Dr. King never endorsed any “extreme measures” unless you consider people holding signs extreme. Dr. King never asked his group to take up arms and revolt like Elijah Muhammad's Muslim movement. Dr. King never even implied that African Americans were superior to whites. The “community as a whole, and the local news media and law enforcement officials” seem to have been the ones who caused problems. The Birmingham police force even allowed their own dogs to sink their teeth “into unarmed, nonviolent Negroes.” The police

force also abused and starved some African Americans while in jail. Dr. King simply insisted that African Americans are equal to Whites and took peaceful actions to pressure the public to pass laws ensuring racial equality. Before organizing into demonstrations, the leaders actually ensured that each activist was capable of reacting nonviolently to the violence they endured while demonstrating. The idea that the days in which this article was written were “days of new hope” is also unfounded. Whites at the time were not willing to have honest and meaningful negotiations with African Americans. This unwillingness necessitated direct action. “Nonviolent direct action,” writes Dr. King, “seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.

Further in the article, it states, “When rights are consistently denied, a cause should be pressed in the courts and in negotiations among local leaders, and not in the streets. (A Call for Unity)” If the African-American community raised a case in the White courts and attempted to negotiate with the White local leaders, I doubt the White citizens would take action. Dr. King responded in a similar manner as I, “Negroes have experienced grossly unjust treatment in the courts. (Dr. King)” The courts had already ignored the largest number of African-American-targeted bombings in the nation. “Negro leaders sought to negotiate with the city fathers. But the latter consistently refused to engage in good faith negotiation. (Dr. King)” According to Dr. King, himself, those who actually did negotiate with the African-American community failed to uphold their promises. “A few [racially degrading] signs, briefly removed [after agreements to have them taken up], returned; the others remained. (Dr. King)”
I agree fully with Dr. King's statements and discredit the ideas of those writing “A Call for Unity.” The African-American population of that time had no better, peaceful method of protest than that which they preformed. I also believe that the protests made a significant impact on the lives of all African-Americans today.

Oglesby, Nikki: Diversity

From reading A Call for Unity and Letter from a Birmingham Jail, a reader gets a view point from two different sides on a very important issue. I personally agree and and disagree with ideas from both. Each party had put thought into what they were suggesting and had good intentions in mind.
     
The writers of A Call for Unity were rational in asking for issues to be handled by negotiation instead of violent demonstrations. Peaceful negotiation may have been helpful but the progress made would have been far slower. African Americans did not want to wait around any longer. At this point, they had already been without rights for many years. The clergymen were wrong when they failed to put themselves in the shoes of a Black people. If they would have looked at the situation from a different perspective, they would have felt the Blacks were going about it the right way. I believe letting emotions and passions drive their actions was the best thing for them to do. It gave them the power to stand up for themselves and get their voices heard.
     
In reply to A Call for Unity, Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail, the letter I favor. Among other topics, the the objections to the demonstrations were addressed. He spoke of how he and his followers had partaken in non-violent demonstrations. It was also pointed out how Blacks had made an attempt to hold peaceful negations with Whites. These negotiation had not gotten the African-American race anywhere because their suggestions and demands were repeatedly denied. Sometimes their ideas were completely ignored. Martin Luther King, Jr. did a great job supporting his claim on why the situation needed to be handled in the manner it was. Change does not happen by itself, someone has to make it happen. Since he was of color, he understood how it felt to lack the rights and equality Whites always had. He believed his people had waited long enough and should not have to wait any longer, and he was right. If African Americans would have shown patience, things would have continued to go along the way they were.
     
Martin Luther King, Jr. also made a great argument directed at highly religious people. While everyone is equal in the eyes of God, skin color making neither race more superior than the other, all people were not give the same rights or freedoms. He believed the churches should not have shared the same attitude as the other Whites. Having the Bible to support him was a big deal. It sure made some rethink matters.
     
Even though A Call for Unity and Letter from Birmingham Jail held different viewpoints on the same matter, they both made good points. One just had a better understanding of how change need to happen sooner rather than later. Each article succeed in its purpose to make people think.     

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.

Falkoff, Brian: Diversity

The two letters demonstrate clearly that racial stereotypes are only partially consistent with demonstrative examples.
  
The letter from the White clergymen, published in a Birmingham newspaper, was indirectly targeted towards Martin Luther King and directly pointed at the local “Negro” community. The eight clergymen made clear that they thought that the black protesters needed to rescind their nonviolent demonstrations – marches, sit-ins, among other peaceful tension-building exercises – and appeal to the biased court system, though they did not name it as biased, in order to gain what they wanted: equal rights. The short and simple, yet clear and decisive, letter, exhibits a stereotype; powerful men think they will get what they want by putting someone else in their place. Their arrogance is astounding and their foolishness is staggering. To think that a group of oppressed and ill-treated people would sit idly by after a leader steps forwards and begins to guide them towards justice was foolish to say the least. The arrogance of the clergymen is surely a reassurance that any semipublic official in Birmingham would have been as self-righteous.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” responded to the letter written by the clergymen. King presented multiple thoughts and reasoning in his long letter, thoroughly explaining his points and almost overwhelming the reader with information. Maybe being in jail allowed him so much time that writing an overzealous letter was easy. More likely, overwhelming his White “fellow clergy” counterparts with ideals and solutions for a problem they did see existed was not that difficult. King probably knew that his own education overstepped theirs by far, and was simply showing all that read his response that even a Black man can be smart. Perhaps he was simply overdoing it. Perhaps he wanted to show the readers that he knew more, could say more, and would do more, than the simple-minded clergymen. This is an example of the stereotype; a hard-ass will always have the last word.

Their conflict in Birmingham has become something featured in textbooks and college classes, not surprisingly. These two letters represent many different ideas and thoughts, as well as showcasing quite well the differences between arrogant leaders and educated oppressed.