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Letters From Birmingham Jail Analysis

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Live oak lined drives across the Southern United States are often filled with recognizable scenes from the past. Large planation homes with beautiful alleyways and gardens are swept in seas on cotton and sugar cane. Commanding statues of generals in grey salute onlookers and remind visitors and residents alike of the complicated past in the South. Symbols and memorials alike are often vessels for pride or disgust depending on how one chooses to view them. It is easy to get lost in the beauty of the homes or history of the landmarks, but a palpable tension of a marred past can transform these symbols into something sinister. The Edmund Pettus bridge connects Route 80 to Selma over the Alabama River. At first glance, the metal structure seems …show more content…

President Johnson, who had intimate access to King, and as the film depicted, was weary in proposing a controversial. After spending a large amount of political capital on a Civil Rights Bill and a large tax reduction, Johnson wanted King to wait until it was politically appropriate for the president. Johnson argued that stirring controversy would perpetuate the issue and embarrass the administration in the process. King argued, however, that people of color were tired of waiting. In King’s, Letters from Birmingham Jail, he discusses the calls of other’s who tell him to “wait.” He argues “this ‘wait’ has almost always meant ‘never’” King goes on to say the black community has “waited for more than 340 years for [their] constitutional and God given rights.” MLK was determined to make a point in Selma, and create enough “tension,” to cause action. Determined to get his point across, and intent of garnering world wide attention, King gained support of clergy members, black and white allies from across the country. The first attempt at the march was unsuccessful; nearly 2,000 marchers were turned around by King at the Edmung Pettus bridge because King did not want to violate a judges orders. That night, a white clergyman, James Reeb, who supported the march was beaten and killed. Finally, after a federal court order to let the march proceed was granted, …show more content…

While there has been tangible progress made in race relations, inequalities still tarnish the country. In poor black communities across the nation, the lack of opportunity stifles potential and creates a cyclical chain of poverty and violence. Areas with high black populations struggling with violence and unequal policing, have prompted a modern civil right movement called “Black Lives Matter.” Critics of the movement often cite, the supposed inherent inequality in the idea. All lives matter, they argue, why should black lives matter specifically? The movement, however, does not argue that black lives matter more than lives of other races, the movement is saying that black lives matter just as much. Furthermore, it’s an exclamation, that calls for attention to be placed on communities ravaged by violence and poverty that are disproportion black. Similar to the movements of the 1960’s, the BLM movement is causing tension across the country. Like king argued, tension is the catalyst that inspires change and conversation. The nonviolent protests of BLM, seek to “dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored;” that is the “work of a nonviolent resister” (1310). Just as the march that was depicted in Selma, the BLM has sought to seek change without violence, but instead with protests and media campaigns. BLM methods parallel King’s use of non violent protest, in a

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