Letter from a Birmingham Jail
...as not just aimed at African Americans but to all people, regardless of race or class. This explained his disillusionment with the white clergy. King confessed his disappointment with the white clergy for their devotion to order rather than to justice. He had hoped that they would recognize that desegregation simply removes legal and social prohibitions. He knew that collective ideas were more creative and more profound. King hoped to awaken them from their great moral and political deep sleep. He wanted them to recognize the continuing urgency for democracy. In the meantime, he was appalled by the silence of these “moral people” towards the inhumane treatment of police officers towards African American protesters. Some instances of what the police officers did was let their dogs attack unarmed, nonviolent men, push and curse old women and young girls, slap and kick old men and young boys, refuse to give food because they wanted to sing grace together. Mr. King believed it was the right time to protest. Birmingham, Alabama was the most segregated town in the US. It wasn’t as the Supreme Court had said either; it wasn’t separate but equal. The quality of the “African American version” was by far less than the “white version”. The timing of such an event as a major protest was also in great consideration. Originally it was set for a week before Easter, as after Christmas, this was the biggest shopping time of the year. It would place major pressure on the merchants with protests going on right in front of their stores. Maybe they would even take down the racist signs that had adorned their walls and windows. A white person living in this time would not know why the protests were happening; they would only know that African Americans received the same things that they did. They also would not have to share it with anyone else. I however would not just sit idly by and watch as people were being thrown in jail unjustly, but what could I do because the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups would make voicing my opinions on the matter a dangerous decision. The fear of protecting my family and myself may have figured greatly on my decision and/or desire to speak out which may have been the case for many white supporters of Mr. King in Birmingham. However as a white person living outside of the south, I would be greatly offended by the injustices. As a young woman who has never been afraid to speak my mind, I doubt that had I been born outside of the south in this time period that I would be any different. An African American living in Birmingham would, I believe, be more willing to fight for equality than a white person livin...