Martin Luther King Jr. addresses the problem of racism
"Letter From a Birmingham Jail." The letter was written on April 16th, 1963, at a time when racial discrimination was causing a lot of damage to the communities in the city. Martin Luther Jr. was the leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Congress at the time, which was a group of missionaries who had agreed to spread the message of Jesus Christ throughout the United States. It was during one of their campaigns against injustices in the community that Martin Luther together with the other members of the group was detained for participating in what they called peaceful demonstrations.
Christianity and the condemnation of ill-treatment
Christianity was picking pace in the country and the missionaries at large condemned the ill-treatment of the black people in the society. However, it can be learned that some of the religious leaders were against the activities of Martin Luther and his group. As he began writing the letter which was addressed to the clergymen, Luther shows the rift between them. He states that "while confined here in Birmingham City Jail, I came across your recent statement calling our present activities unwise and untimely." The statement alone shows that not everyone supported the move by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to enlighten the people about what they termed as equal rights.
The worsening situation in the American society
Martin Luther Jr. states that "Beyond this, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here." The statement shows the worsening situation between the community members in the American society. From the letter, it is clear that there was lack of respect between the different races in the country. One growth made of the blacks was considered inferior to the others. To fight against this form of discrimination, Martin Luther says that "I too am compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my particular hometown." From this point, it emerges that there was no respect for human freedom in the society. Luther went ahead to say that if injustice occurs anywhere in the world, it should be considered as it has happened all over the world. He believed that the occurrence in one place it would eventually pose a risk to the other regions.
Response to opposition and the determination for fair treatment
In his response to the opposition he felt from the other clergymen, Martin Luther Jr. tells them that "I am sure that each of you would want to go beyond the superficial social analyst who looks merely at effects and does not grapple with underlying causes." Indiscipline occurs here as it is a broad term that may be used to mean a disregard of the norms of society. The events outlined in the letter shows the determination that Martin Luther had in ensuring that the people received fair treatment irrespective of their origin or skin color. The principal aim was to spread the gospel about peace to the people.
The need to address underlying causes
In conclusion, Martin Luther King Jr. exposes the rot in a community where even the clergymen are not concerned with the cause of the events. To them, the only consideration to be made regarding an issue is to determine the effects it will have on the people. The stand is strongly disputed by Martin Luther Jr. while maintaining that it is essential to solve the issue and prevent it from happening by concentrating on its primary causes.
Works Cited
King, Martin Luther, Jr. Stanford University. 16 April 1963. 7 December 2017.
