Introduction

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.

The letter was written in April of 1963, at the height of the civil rights movement and nearly 10 years after Brown v Board, the landmark supreme court decision deeming segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Discussion

Justice, Civility and Constructive Tension

"My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent resister may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word "tension." I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth."

"Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with...."

Questions

• What are your thoughts on the use of Dr. King's constructive tension and its supposed necessity for growth?

• Some might believe that that Dr. King is passively advocating for violence by encouraging the use of constructive tension. What are your thoughts on this?

• How do you view the relationship between justice and civility? Should they exist together, in harmony? Or are they intrinsically opposed in situations of injustice?

• In the present day, we often use Dr. King as a symbol of peace and love, but could you argue that the ideas he's presenting here are fairly radical? Do you think that they are radical enough?

4 Steps to Non-Violent Demonstration

"In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self purification; and direct action. We have gone through all these steps in Birmingham."

"Mindful of the difficulties involved, we decided to undertake a process of self purification. We began a series of workshops on nonviolence, and we repeatedly asked ourselves: "Are you able to accept blows without retaliating?" "Are you able to endure the ordeal of jail?"

Questions

• What do you think Dr. King means by 'self-purification' in his 4 step process?

• Do you feel that all of these steps are necessary?

• How do you think the movement we're witnessing today aligns with Dr. King's 4 steps to non-violent demonstration? Are we missing something? Was he missing something?

The Time for Justice

Some people see this piece as a pivot in the message that Dr. King was delivering; shifting focus from the more explicit examples of racial injustice to the complacency of the white moderate.

"I had also hoped that the white moderate would reject the myth concerning time in relation to the struggle for freedom. I have just received a letter from a white brother in Texas. He writes: "All Christians know that the colored people will receive equal rights eventually, but it is possible that you are in too great a religious hurry."

"And that's all we've heard: 'Wait, wait for a more convenient season.' But I want you to go back and tell those who are telling us to wait that there comes a time when people get tired."

Questions

• What is the myth concerning time in relation to the struggle for freedom?

• Dr. King writes a lot about the "white moderate"; what do you understand to be the failure of the white moderate in the fight against racial injustice?

Just and unjust laws

Dr. King writes on the justness of laws on the basis of morality and the responsibility we bare to respond accordingly to those laws.

One may well ask: "How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?" The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all."

"I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law."

Questions

• Is it okay to break the law if you feel strongly that such a law is unjust, or if the defiance of such a law works to expose and combat certain injustices?

• Without an inherently eternal/heavenly perspective and timeline, is it possible to craft just laws?

Dr. King's Influences

A devout Protestant and practiced minister, Dr. King's activism was largely rooted in his faith. He makes reference to scripture and the teachings of a number of religious figures throughout the letter, as well as the words of philosophical figures like Socrates.

As T. S. Eliot has said: "The last temptation is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason."

"Isn't this like condemning Jesus because his unique God consciousness and never ceasing devotion to God's will precipitated the evil act of crucifixion?"

Questions

• Consider the association between religion and social politics at the time this letter was written and in relation to that association today. Should we be looking toward religion to help us solve these issues of injustice, or are we simply using religion as a rhetorical tool?

• Much of the ideology surrounding the civil rights movement was driven by religion (Dr. King, Black Christianity, Malcolm X, The Brotherhood of Islam, etc). What role does religion play in today's struggle for racial equality? Or do we have our own key influencers and if so, what do you think they are?