Letter From A Birmingham Jail Analysis

An unjust law is “a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.” So any law that degrades human personality is unjust. King was put into jail for protesting the treatment of blacks in Birmingham, Alabama. Everything in Alabama was segregated, whether in schools, bathrooms, churches, or buses the blacks were always separated from the whites. Blacks faced a lot of discrimination during that time and they went about trying to solve this injustice the nonviolent way by protesting.

Throughout African American history , the police force has been accountable for numerous detrimental deaths in the African American community due to racial discrimination. In 1960s, African American protesters were targeted by the police force because of the their desire to be be deemed as equal. Likewise, in today’s society African Americans are still experiencing active racial discrimination and injustices from the police force. African Americans have expressed their level of frustration with the inhumane actions of the police force. Police brutality of African American protesters has been rebirthed into 21st century by ongoing racial injustices through Henry Louis Gates Jr. and victims of the detrimental equality marches , evidence is presented.

Dr. King wanted to end segregation and he also wanted equal rights for everyone, but he was told by the clergyman that the movement was “unwise” and “untimely”. King explained that there will never be a right time for change in this society with bringing equality and justice to us all. Dr. King was told several times to wait, which prolonged his protest and marches. King became frustrated because people were being mistreated and judged everyday based off the color of their skin. Dr. King felt that segregation was wrong, and he refused to sit back and do nothing.

Birmingham, Alabama was a tough place to live as an African-American in the early 1960’s due to social injustice and segregation. Violent crimes against African-Americans occurred regularly, and they happened with few people standing up for African-Americans. Shortly after arriving in Alabama, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. found himself in Birmingham Jail after standing up for African-Americans by peacefully protesting segregation. There were many critics of Dr. King at the time, and a few of them were clergymen who wrote an open letter criticizing the civil rights demonstrations. Dr. King responded to those clergymen from his jail cell in a persuasive manner.

Being part of a racial minority in the United States at any time history will always be bad since the option of true civil rights is not available. Dr.King in his Letter from Birmingham City Jail, he talks mainly about the terrible treatment to racial minorities in this case, black people he mentions how his son asks “Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?”.(p.3.) If kids can see the negative effects of not having civil rights then it is truly is a problem in American society. As far as America has come it still has major problems and one great advocate is Dr.King who says “It seeks so to dramatize the issue that can longer be ignored”(p.3.) Dr.king knew how big of a problem not having true civil rights can be for racial minorities so he decides to “Dramatize the Issue” which has helped to get closer to civil rights it doesn’t just take one man in order to make changes it takes a whole

The Compromise of 1877 led to a lack of control of the south that allowed the KKK to start their stream of terror Lynching was often well publicized and profitable. Living in fear was common for blacks at the time. This lead to the Great Migration, blacks started to move North moving into cities About 6 million blacks moved to the north hoping for jobs and a better life however in doing so they were treated with segregation. Segregation lead to black communities. These communities started to build churches and schools.

It started in the 1960s, Birmingham became one of the most racist cities in America, where segregation was used in law of justice and cultural ethics. Most of the African American faced legal and financial inequality, and violent riots when they attempted to take their problems to court. Birmingham protests began with a boycott against Shuttlesworth and to pressure their business leaders to have an open employment to all races of people. This also meant that they should end segregation on public facilities, restaurants, schools, and stores so that all races become equal. When local business owners and government leaders ignored the boycott, and this is when the SCLC agreed to end segregation.

Racial profiling has been going on for hundreds of years now by everyday citizens and law enforcement. “Racial profiling happens everyday,in cities and towns across the country”(ACLU).When will this humiliating profiling stop?Often people have walks and boycotts just to show how serious they want their equal living. “Racial profiling is a longstanding and deeply troubling national problem despite claims that the United States has entered a “post-racial era”(ACLU). Racial profiling is when law enforcement target individuals based off their race ,ethnic or religion as harm to the society.

I can only speak for myself when it comes to being colour blind in our so-called post-racial world. Growing up, in a chocolate city (CC) of bricks, Newark, New Jersey had a diverse background of people until after the riot that changed the people and the city structure “involving issues of collective memory, trauma, race relations, and urban development (Herman, 2013). The riot happened in 1967 when I was nine going on ten and at a time when black people, became fed up with race relation in America when it came to equal rights and other treatment (Mumford, 2007). Even police brutality of beating or killing blacks in the Ghettos was a part of social injustice done all in the wrong ways. It was the era of the Black Panthers, Black Power movements and a City turned into an eyesore.

“ We have more work to do when more young black men languish in prison than attend colleges and universities across America.” President Barack Obama. This quote is a great example of systemic racism. Systemic racism is a form of racism-, that was created by historical and the societal structures that had been created globally. Congress passing unfair laws, biased police officers, and unfair, unequal education system, making it difficult for non-white people to succeed.

Communication is a very important part of human lifestyle, as it allows for an understanding between people. I make a conscious effort to communicate the same to everyone in order to show that I do not have to change for any particular person. However, I would not talk to a close friend or family member the exact same way as I would a teammate on the baseball team. For this reason, I believe in the necessity of transforming communication styles according to your relation to people. There is a clear difference between communicating professionally and casually.

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said in his “Letter From a Birmingham Jail”, “Time itself is neutral; it can either be used destructively or constructively... Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts of man... We must use time creatively in the knowledge that time is always ripe to do right.” King is absolutely right, here; in order to make any progress or improvement, one needs to use time correctly in order to get a positive response.