Lessons from a Birmingham Jail [7P Productions]

MLK in jail.
image source: US Dept of State

Sometimes you have to think about what would happen if you don’t act, rather than what would happen if you do.

So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love?
 - Martin Luther King, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”

This site is generally about achieving goals and dream, but this article is especially for dreams that are meant to make this world a better place.

A Letter from a Rabble Rouser
April was a significant month for Dr. Martin Luther King. Many people will remember April 4, 1968 as the day he was assassinated at a Memphis hotel. Another date of significance was April 16, 1963, which was the day Dr. King wrote the famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”

Dr. King is revered today as an iconic hero that was a champion of human civil rights. His legacy has been bantered about so much though, that sometimes the ideals that he stood for is glossed over as platitude and sometimes it’s forgotten the amount of work, sacrifice, and compassion needed by him and countless others to make a change.

When he was jailed in Birmingham for a non-violent protest against segregation, he wrote an open letter explaining why the movement needed to escalate its efforts. Although this letter was written with respect to the civil rights movements, the lessons taught is valuable for anyone who has goals and aspirations of making a positive change in this world.

“Wait” Is Usually Another Word for “Never”
As the civil rights movement was growing, the side for civil rights and the side for segregation were becoming more vocal. However, Dr. King did not consider the segregationists to be their greatest stumbling block, but rather the moderates who were more concerned about order and peace instead of justice. He wrote in his letter that the greatest stumbling block was the moderate “who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice.”

The Letter from a Birmingham Jail was a response to eight Alabama clergymen calling for the civil rights movement to be patient for the right time, and to wait for progress to happen slowly with due process. Dr. King directly addressed their sentiment in his letter by stating that some changes never have a convenient time. One of the most famous quote from the letter by Dr. King: “justice too long delayed is justice denied.”

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.”
 - Martin Luther King, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”

The Four Steps for Change

MLK speech to the masses.
image source: US Dept of State

Dr. King specifically differentiated between action done with love, versus action done with hate. The problem of segregation was becoming such an unacceptable problem that the people needed to do some sort of action, and if action continued to be suppressed, it would eventually explode into destructive action done with hate. Instead, he advocated being pro-active with actions of sincerity and love.

Dr. King outlined the four basic steps: “collection of the facts; negotiation; self purification; and direct action.”

  1. Collection of Facts: In other words, assess the situation. Understand where the situation is now, where the situation should be, and all of the available options to move from the current situation to where the situation should be.
  2. Negotiation: Follow the standard process of making change. Negotiation is with both external as well as internal parties.
  3. Self Purification: This step is the most vital to ensure that further actions for change are positive. Self purification is an internal acknowledgment that personal sacrifices are needed for the sake of progress. It is setting the expectations that your direct actions may cause yourself pain and suffering, but you still must act with only sincerity and love. Often when this step is skipped, the natural reaction is to act with negative emotions and destructive actions ensue.
  4. Direct Action: After you have prepared yourself with self purification, proceed with sincerity in heart and with knowledge that sometimes the greater danger is no action.

If you are a rabble rouser trying to make a positive change in the world, whether it be for domestic or international civil rights, or some sort of positive change to make this world better for the next generation, the Letter from a Birmingham Jail outlines the steps needed to make a positive change.

Reference

Original post here: Al at 7P

7 April 2008 | Passion, Use What Works in Practice, peace, power, progress | Comments

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