It is easy for any of the people living today to underrate the value of the freedom and equality enjoyed in the country. This freedom has not always been there. It is an effort of people who lived in the past and sacrificed their all to ensure that racism and ethnicity have been eliminated. After slave trade had ended, the blacks would hardly dream of sharing a restroom with the whites, the power to vote just a dream they never thought would come to pass. A black president would be a dream as impossible as a trip to the sun. Despite all the odds, someone dared to dream of a racism free country. They not only dreamed but also believed in their dreams. It was not enough just to believe in their dreams, but they acted on their beliefs. The simple selfless acts of voluntarily facing jail terms for riding segregated busses or demonstrating outside the streets of Birmingham would bring an everlasting impact on the lives of the blacks. The ‘letter from Birmingham City Jail’ is one of the few souvenirs we have from the war against apartheid in USA. It reminds us of the sacrifices and efforts that led to the freedom and unity we enjoy today and the importance of respect for each other despite the differences.
Writing this letter in prison, he addresses the clergymen who are supposed to be on the forefront to fight for fairness and equality. The white members of the clergy are in the fight to advocate for peace without considering who is on the wrong. These clergymen call King’s move to initiate a rebellion untimely and unwise. They argued that the blacks should have waited for the right time when their freedom would be granted to them. The white clergymen are filled with hypocrisy and fail to condemn the evils against the blacks and try to lure the blacks to stop their rebellion in the name of Christianity. Their very churches advocate for racial discrimination by not allowing black people in their churches. Writing to king asking him to stop the rebellion based on his Christian beliefs while they break the greatest commandment of love shows the greatest level of hypocrisy. It shows the role-played by religion in oppressing the blacks people by making them satisfied as second-class citizens. The whites hoped Christianity would work as a weapon of silencing the blacks.
King explains the steps he takes before he advocates for demonstrations. He first verifies the existence of oppression. Oppression in the community was so vivid no one would have to question it. The fact that even little children had to suffer for the crime of being born colored was evidence enough of injustice. The black fathers had a hard time explaining to their young ones why they would not enjoy the best of life despite how much effort they put. They were considered second-class citizens owing to the fact their ancestors arrived in the continent not as humans but beasts of burden. The white community was reluctant to giving the blacks their freedoms and considering them as equal citizens.It was an equal evil as their ancestors who had robbed them of their humanity in Africa, chained them in ships, and used them as beasts of burden in their farms. When he had verified the people oppression, he opted for negotiations that were followed by empty promises of a racism free America. When these promises did not materialize, they then self-purified themselves owing to the fact that their demonstrations were a lesser evil than the oppression that was taking place. The direct action was the only left option for him to take. Rebelion was a good way of having their issues heard.
Some of the blacks gave themselves as sacrificial lambs to suffer for the promise of a better future. King himself writes this letter from prison denied his freedom for his firm stand against racism. Many black people choose to disobey all the oppressive laws for the hope of a better future. These people sacrifice themselves as many biblical characters that stood for what is right despite consequences they face. Biblical characters like Stephen or Daniel disobeyed the authority for the ultimate good of Christianity. There was nothing wrong with the blacks who gave themselves for the hope of a better future. Their efforts were for the ultimate good of the society and no hypocrite should have stopped them owing the illegality of their actions. Their actions were inspired by great selflessness and love for a better future. Some of the oppressive laws were worse than lawlessness. In Germany, helping a Jew was a bigger crime than killing one during the reign of Hitler, this shows how evil one would be for following the ‘law’ blindly. The readiness by the ‘Heroes of the South’ to sacrifice themselves for a better future was the ultimate solution to racism in the country. We owe a great appreciation to the people who selflessly gave their lives to promoting equality in the country. People who dared to dream and fight with all they had to see their dreams fulfilled. I see their smiles from the other world when they look down and see a black president in the country and whisper to each other our work was not in vain.
Good Article Review On Letter From Birmingham City Jail
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