James Baldwin was a writer and playwright born 1924, in Harlem. One of the 20th century's greatest voices, he broke new literary ground with the exploration of racial and social issues. Especially known for his essays on the Black experience in America.
Dr. King wrote Letters from a Birmingham Jail in response to an open letter written by 8 white clergymen titled "A Call for Unity", in which the ministers disapproved of public demonstration as a means of combatting racial segregation and advocated for use of the court system to enact change.