In his Letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. Martin Luther King said, “For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never."” Dr. King’s words are resonant and relevant in current struggles worldwide. In the U.S., marginalized groups have fought for emancipation for decades. We have been told to vote and to participate in politics for our liberation. The problem is that when we vote for officials who enact legislation suppressing one type of oppression, another type is quickly formed. When lynching was out, police brutality came in. When child labor was out, prison labor came in. It’s a never-ending cycle. One form of oppression takes the place of whichever form is removed. We have been programmed to be dependent on voting for officials with progressive ideals who are meant to free us from our persecution. We are sold dreams of reform to convince us to vote for one candidate over another. We are told to adhere to a dominant political party for our freedom. Throughout history, we are told lies and are manipulated by the ruling class as if though it is a generational tradition.
Trying to reform an institution that has a foundation built on marginalization and oppression is counterproductive. We all need to comprehend that our governmental and societal institutions are working as they were built to, and therefore reform is not revolutionary. Reform is also an unstable goal for the long
King states the number of years that African Americans have waited to be treated fairly, to emphasize how long they have been facing racial injustice. Dr. King is trying to shed light on the long struggle for equality in order to persuade the reader that action needs to be taken as soon as possible. Dr. King notes, “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” (King
“We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” This quote stated by Martin Luther King, Jr. in his Letter from Birmingham Jail, presents us with the idea that in order for people to gain the freedom they desire, they must demand and fight for what they believe in. For as long as the civilization has been around, certain minorities get purposely separated from a larger, more powerful group of people, also known as the majority. When this happens, the minority gets discriminated, segregated, treated unfairly, bossed around, and controlled by the majority who is against them. The minorities then start to realize how this is wrong, unfair, unjust and immoral.
Likewise, Dr. King stood in a place of great significance. Here, in front of the statue of President Lincoln, is where he will present his infamous “I Have a Dream” speech and it is evident of the great significance it represents. It was in 1863 that President Lincoln fought to abolish slavery and by coincidence, one hundred years later, Dr. King will be addressing more than 200,000 demonstrators fighting the same fight. On this day Dr. King will articulately responds to Governor Wallace’s speech that had taken place seven months prior. As the prominent Dr. King put it, “Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children” (archives.gov). In other words, Dr. King is stating, that equality and fair justice should not be based on, ethnicity, color, or status, but in essence we are all created equal and ought to live harmoniously.
Martin Luther King’s work, “Why We Can’t Wait,” describes the struggles of being an African American in the United States in the 1960s. He opens the book with a brief comparison of two young black children, a boy living in Harlem, New York, and a girl living in Birmingham, Alabama. Both children live in poverty and in a world with limited opportunities. By drawing this comparison, King confirms that racism is a national problem and not only a problem present in the South. King illustrates throughout the book that racism and discrimination not only affects African American families, but also white families. He describes opportunities that both races miss because of discrimination. The missed opportunities include: park closings because of the refusal to abide by a court ruling to have them integrated, baseball teams disbanded instead of letting black players join, and lastly, an orchestra refusing to come to Birmingham to perform for a segregated audience. Two very important themes that are illustrated throughout the book are hatred and moving forward. These themes are expressed and examined by King throughout the book and provide insight on the damaging effects of racism and what Americans should do to improve these conditions.
Throughout his piece, King facilitates emotional appeals to convince and strengthen his argument, as well as building it. His introductory sections stirs towards the emotions of his audiences, and full of emotionally-charged experiences why to “wait” for racial segregation to end is difficult and “unwise” for black people. By urging the clergymen to view things from a black man’s perspective, King build a more convincing argument that strengthen his case because the clergymen only sees the court as the rightful place in which blacks will gain their freedom and not by nonviolent protest which they see as “untimely.” Since African Americans are tired of waiting for that freedom time that never seem to come, King proclaim that the time for waiting
Throughout history we have always had a recurring problem that to this day hasn't ‘it been completely fixed to this day. People were still being discriminated because of their skin color and they need to fight for their equality. We have always looked at equality and have stomped on it, but in the the 1900 people decided to rebel against inequality and get what they were promised. Martin luther King Jr was part of this rebellion and he created a speech to share to the open public to help make them aware that their hard work was making a difference and they mustn't lose hope,But they still have to fight harder and stronger “ And so we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition” (king ¶3)
Although union labors have many perks, if given a choice I would not elect to join a union labor. I would not join a union labor because in today’s work environment all rights are protected and clearly stated. Company owners make all rights protected and clearly stated because they know employees are “sue happy” and will try to sue the company for any minor problems. Another reason why I would not join a union labor is union labors are not as popular as they were before. In a like manner, unions have outlived their usefulness because laws and regulations are in place to protect employees, because of this a union is no longer needed. Today, companies also have a human resource department. Professionals in the human resource department are
For centuries African-Americans have been under close watch and for centuries they have fought hard to change this.With great leaders such as Martin Luther King JR. and Rosa Parks and great movements such as the Montgomery bus boycott and the recent Black Lives Matter movement we have come to resolve the concept of inequality.Now is the time to come forward to put an end over the concept of social control.Everyday hundreds of African-Americans are locked behind cold metal bars and are forced to adapt to a life of isolation for crimes they did not commit but because they are Black they are
The words and actions of the various grassroots organizations prove that the “can’t wait” message was shared. The best example of this was the similar language in Martin Luther King’s speech during the March on Washington and the unedited speech of his younger, more radical contemporary, John Lewis. Martin Luther King said, “And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights .” This quote is the epitome of the
The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges. ” It’s clear that the politicians and citizens don’t want to see the chaos situation happen in America; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr made them realize that the fight for the equality is not just African-American’s fight, but also a fight of everyone, everyone who wants a peaceful and harmonious society. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr pointed this truth explicitly in his
Nearly three centuries ago, black men and women from Africa were brought to America and put into slavery. They were treated more cruelly in the United States than in any other country that had practiced slavery. African Americans didn’t gain their freedom until after the Civil War, nearly one-hundred years later. Even though African Americans were freed and the constitution was amended to guarantee racial equality, they were still not treated the same as whites and were thought of as second class citizens. One man had the right idea on how to change America, Martin Luther King Jr. had the best philosophy for advancing civil rights, he preached nonviolence to express the need for change in America and he united both African Americans
On August 28, 1963 one of the most moving speeches was presented to our nation by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. During this time period, black citizens in the United Stated were restricted to what schools they can attend, where they sit on a public bus, what building entrances they can walk through, and what drinking fountains they are allowed to use simply because of the color of their skin when that isn’t even a trait you can control. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed the racial discrimination that was occurring in his memorable speech. King discussed that after all of these years and signed documents that promise equal rights, many African Americans are still being segregated. He encouraged the audience to take action immediately because
Niebuhr strongly emphasizes realities in the democratic process which impede any kind of quick abolition of segregation and quick passage of anti-discrimination laws. And given these realities, patience and faith are commended to African Americans in order to sustain them through this transition. Here, he also gives content to how this gradual shift will take place, citing Martin Luther King’s argument that suffrage will make way for all other changes. “In the memorable Prayer Pilgrimage to Washington,” Niebuhr remembers, “the youthful Negro champion, the Rev. Martin Luther King, wisely insisted that if only our democracy would give the Negro the elemental right of suffrage, all other injustice would be eliminated in time and would be eliminated without violence. Dr. King 's logic is certainly irrefutable.” Niebuhr agrees with King. However long the process may take, once voting rights are achieved, “all other injustice would be eliminated in time” and “without violence.”
In the U.S. labor relations, a group of employees who desire to bargain collectively rather than individually, are those who typically form a union (Dooley, 1957). This demonstrates to the employer that the majority of its employees support the union and the organizing process begins. First, employees cannot form a union without abiding by certain basic procedural steps and legal standards that are required. Decisions to vote against or for a union are based on factors such as satisfaction with their job, beliefs of the effectiveness of the union, and the culture or social environment in which the employee works. Next, when an employer exerts undue punishment to an employee who the employer suspects as being an illegal alien, this may be poor public policy. From a legal perspective, a recent federal court case, Singh v. Jutla & C.D. & R. Oil, Inc., 214 F. Supp. 2d 1056 (N.D. Cal. 2002) spoke to this issue. In this case, when the plaintiff Singh filed a wage claim under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the employer fired him and reported him to INS as an illegal alien (Labor Law, 1969). Likewise, the union certification process which was established by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) in 1935 was a victory for workers waning union representation upon its initial implementation. Workers could petition the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for a determination made democratically of whether a majority of workers favored unionization (Labor Law, 1969). This effort
Then much the same was said of segregation in its time, Martin Luther King Jr. responded: “For years now I have heard the word ‘Wait!’ ... This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never.’” In the face of longstanding injustice, one could not wait for a perfect process that might one day come. King wrote: “[W]hen you are … living constantly at tiptoe stance, never knowing what to expect next … when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of ‘nobodiness’ – then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait (Martin Luther King Jr. quotes, Crawford, Alejandro.)