Letter from a Birmingham Jail

In honor of the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, and the cause for which he and thousands upon thousands fought long and hard, I present this excerpt from his 'Letter from a Birmingham Jail':

You may well ask: "Why direct action? Why sit ins, marches and so forth? Isn't negotiation a better path?" You are quite right in calling for negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent resister may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word "tension." I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, so must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood. The purpose of our direct action program is to create a situation so crisis packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation. I therefore concur with you in your call for negotiation. Too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in a tragic effort to live in monologue rather than dialogue.

Please, in memory of those who gave their lives for civil rights, read it in its entirety here:
http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html

I am here in a tiny northern town listening to KXCI on the internet. Community radio via the web brings me reminders of the good fight and the multitudes of those engaged over the years.

The sounds from that radio broadcast bring back floods of memories from those days when I first learned to feel ashamed; ashamed of the lies about principle and justice tolerated in America when I was young. So good to hear the sounds that first stirred me to understand that democracy is not a place, but a process and that the process required action each and every day.

Our beloved country demands that we all continue to work for the ideals. Reminders of where we were and why we took up the path to where we need to go.... so damned important.

Peace, justice, and salute to those who shoulder the burden of achieving both.

hm

I am so out of it, I didn't even know you were a mod this term, lol. :spank: me!

This American Experiment is only what we make of it. The power of renewal and hope beckons all of us.

:toast:

developed a condition that precluded sitting down at the computer much at all. Not here that often anymore. Have to find other means of making a dent :evilgrin:

:evilfrown: I am sorry to hear of your situation.

Your dents have been noted. :P

He knew that we needed to end our wars to fix our problems here at home.

MLK Jr would be pleased that Obama was elected, but until he stops all of the wars of aggression...Obama just doesn't get it.

Thanks for posting!