Works of Martin Luther King, Jr.

MLK Meaning in Letter From Birmingham

Making Meaning of MLK's Letter to Birmingham

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was written as a response to an open letter that appeared in a local newspaper from eight white clergymen of the state, including bishops, pastors, and a rabbi. In it, they called upon Dr. King for an end to the protests and what they considered "civil disobedience" taking place in the city (Patton 53). They urged instead for patient negotiation and legal action to address any perceived denial of rights to black citizens.

King responded calmly and rationally to the issues raised in the open letter. In what is one of his only written works, the Letter addresses the men as "Fellow Clergymen" and as "brothers." He wrote, "since I feel you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms" (1). He addressed each of their assumptions and criticisms, and also laid out his own disappointments and vision with and for the church as an agent of God's justice and peace. The Letter was quickly picked up by the media and is today noted for its historical significance and impact on social justice.

Themes

There are many complex themes called forth by the "Letter from Birmingham Jail," that are eloquently and effective made plain by King. One theme he offers in the Letter is that religious leaders needed to realize their essential interdependence. He stated: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly" (9).

During the civil rights era, and even in modern times, we see that American society has become increasingly multicultural and globalized. As a result our interdependence becomes both more evident and necessary. The fate of the most marginalized members of society are linked to the choices of the more powerful and affluent. Dr. King makes a clear case in the Letter that there is connection between all religious, ethnic and racial groups and that to truly love God, one must also consider the need for human equality and embrace other groups and communities -- and their struggles (Berry 113).

Dr. King also urged all to recognize that the deeply personal nature of segregation. This theme is evident when he says: "when you are & #8230; plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of 'nobodiness' -- then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait" (3). Here he very poetically expresses the sense of urgency felt by African-Americans during that time. He humanizes the anguish and pain caused not only by legalized segregation, but also by its emotional and psychological impact. Many of the clergy who wrote the open letter to King, had not endured the hatred, bigotry and pain that African-Americans were grappling with at the time. Segregation was sending a very tangible message to the world then: You are inferior, you are nobody. King wanted the clergy to understand this and know that the Civil Rights movement was less about politics and more about creating a community that honors the full equality of all people.

Another theme called out in the Letter to Birmingham was that of bringing injustice to light and challenging it. Dr. King wrote: "Injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured" (5). He also reminded the clergy that the vast majority of demonstrators and participators in the movement were using non-violent means. On page nine he wrote: "There is the more excellent way of love and nonviolent protest. I am grateful to God that, through the influence of the Negro church, the way of nonviolence became an integral part of our struggle…Nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek."

Dr. King's letter asks the church to work for change by bringing social tensions to the surface and then channeling the resulting discontent "into the creative outlet of nonviolent direct action" (6). He wanted painful truths exposed to generate opportunities for healing in Birmingham and other segregated cities at the time. There is bravery in what King was suggesting. To meet hostility with love and open dialogue was, in his mind, the true way of God. He believed it could dispel prejudice and "the bondage of myths and half-truths" (2).

The Letter also reminds all of the Constitutional rights being denied African-American citizens. It uses democratic themes throughout that speak to the inherent right of all citizens to fully participate in the American dream. A very noteworthy one appears on page nine. Dr. King wrote:

When these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters, they were in reality standing up for what is best in the American dream and for the most sacred values in our Judeo- Christian heritage, thereby bringing our nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the founding fathers in their formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.