penned from his jail cell a document that would become a classic of American political thought, a blueprint for civic resistance to injustice perpetrated under color of law. A free lecture event will explore the lasting impact of the document.īrad Roth, professor of political science and law, will describe the Letter’s impact on secular theoretical approaches to civil disobedience and the authority of law. Ronald Brown, associate professor of political science, will describe the Letter as an embodiment of Black liberation theology, emphasizing the role of biblical scriptures in establishing the spiritual and moral foundation for the pursuit of racial justice.Īs part of the university’s annual Juneteenth celebration, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is hosting a series of events to build year-round momentum and raise awareness in the community. In April 1963, amid a major civil disobedience campaign against racial segregation in Birmingham, Alabama, Rev. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” As for his incitements, King said, the confrontation is the point: “The purpose of the direct action is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation.In-person lecture, open to public, April 3 I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham.

“I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here” he said. King’s response to the wrong-time, wrong-place accusation was succinct. On this day, April 16, in 1963 Martin Luther King wrote his famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” He composed it over the course of day, writing on a legal pad provided by his lawyers, margins of a newspaper, and, after running out of both of the above, toilet paper. King’s response was one of the most eloquent treatises on civil rights in the 20th century. A group of eight white clergymen wrote an open letter to King in Birmingham, accusing him of creating civil unrest, and calling his act of civil disobedience “unwise and untimely” - not allowing time for the political system to change.

Meanwhile, the politically moderate whites he hoped to persuade to his cause questioned his tactics. The campaign he organized was in tatters, with King and other leaders arrested. Locked up in a jail in Birmingham, Alabama, after leading an illegal protest in Albany, Georgia, Martin Luther King was facing his darkest hour.

Mlk letter from birmingham jail