Reflection 2: Letter from Birmingham Jail
The short book I chose to read this semester is Letter from Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This book was written while Dr. King was imprisoned for participating in nonviolent protests against segregation and served as his response to critics (specifically eight white clergymen of the South) who issued a public statement of concern regarding Dr. King’s demonstrations.
Dr. King opens his book by addressing his critics directly and stating that he has chosen to answer them because he believes they are “men of genuine good will” with criticisms “sincerely set forth” (King, 1963). He then addresses the claims that he is an outsider of Birmingham and thus, should not be protesting there, by stating his reason for being in Birmingham: he was invited to lead nonviolent demonstrations in Birmingham because of the racial injustices present, and he is committed to fighting injustice everywhere. As Dr. King puts it, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” and no one who lives within the United States is an outsider because “whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly” (King, 1963).
Dr. King questions his critics as to why they deplore the peaceful demonstrations taking place, but do not deplore the actions that made the demonstrations necessary; why they “warmly commend” the Birmingham police for keeping order when, in reality, the police have allowed dogs to violently bite unarmed Black persons, and when the police themselves have physically abused Black men, women and children (King, 1963). Dr. King makes it clear that while he has been imprisoned by the Birmingham police for breaking the law, he emphasizes that “an unjust law is no law at all” and that segregation ordinances are unjust (King, 1963).
Another powerful point within Dr. King’s book is his disappointment with the “white moderate”. Dr. King reflects on the fact that the white moderate is a bigger block in the road to racial justice than white supremacist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan because they are “more devoted to order than to justice” and are willing to sit idly by as injustice persists (King, 1963). Similarly, he also rebuts his critics’ argument that segregation and other instances of racially unjust laws should be handled in court, as the only way to genuinely generate conversation about these topics, and thus, force white people to confront them, is through direct action.
I would absolutely use this book for language teaching purposes. It was written from the perspective of a prominent leader and activist in American history and it details an important type of injustice that was present (and is still present) in American society. Because of its length, I think I would have students work on it over a longer time period (perhaps over the course of a unit, or even within an entire content-based course, on race in America, for example) and we would spend a lot of time unpacking the text. I also think it would be best geared towards intermediate or advanced level learners due to the length and complexity of vocabulary used.
Some discussion points for students to reflect on as they read might include the following:
- (a) At several points throughout the book, Dr. King brings up the criticism that his demonstrations have been “untimely”. What do his critics mean by this? What is Dr. King’s response? (b) Is there ever a right time to fight injustices? Why or why not?
- Dr. King claims that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. How does he differentiate between them?
- Dr. King makes the argument that white moderates pose more of a hurdle to racial justice than extremist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. Why does he argue this? Do you agree? Why or why not?
I learned a lot from reading this book and found that it embodies core concepts we have talked about in class. First, in this book Dr. King emphasizes the extremely problematic nature of remaining neutral in situations of injustice; as we have talked about in class, inaction in situations of injustice only benefits the oppressor(s). Additionally, throughout his book Dr. King discusses the necessity of the presence of nonviolent tension for progress and growth in society; this reminded me a lot of “Pedagogy of Pain” and how we talked about acknowledging and talking through topics that are hard or painful and it being how growth and learning can take place. For those who have not yet read this short book, I absolutely recommend it.
Hi Stephanie, thank you for choosing this classic book and sharing your thoughts. I watched Dr. King’s speech and I was so moved. I also like the discussion questions you came up with and I also think it is a good idea to talk about Dr. King and the reality, how should we fight with injustices and are there still “moderates” that need to be educated or have conversations with etc. There are so many things that can be discussed.
Hi Stephanie – it’s been a long time since I read the book but I do remember the part about the “white moderate.” It actually reminds me of progress narratives that we discussed and how harmful they actually are in concealing the injustices we still have in our societies by foregrounding how much better we are than the people in the past or how much progress we have made since KKK.
There is a TED talk by Christian Picciolini, a former White supremacist, who discusses how he got involved in America’s neo-Nazi movement and how he got out. This talk actually troubled me a lot because while emphasizing diversity and inclusion to fight against racism, it reduces racism to individual acts and to the works of “certain people” (like KKK). We need to make sure our understanding of racism goes beyond the interpersonal level, but extend to the institutional one. Years after, King’s criticisms of white moderates still pertains.
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