Black History: Special Delivery!!
On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. penned his historic letter from a jail in Birmingham, AL. He initially wrote the letter in the margins of a newspaper, from his jail cell.
King was intentionally arrested to help garner support for his work in the city. The letter was written in response to criticism he received from white clergy in Birmingham who openly challenged his approach to fighting segregation through, protests, boycotts, and non violence. The clergy criticizing King felt that he should operate within the confines of the law to accomplish his goals. There were also those both black and white that felt King was stirring up trouble that could hinder progress. King was also criticized for being an “outsider” who was stirring up trouble in the community.
King eloquently articulated in the letter “why we can’t wait.” In honor of the historic letter, we are sharing two of our favorite quotes contained in the letter. These quotes still ring true today!! To read the letter in its entirety click here.
March 14, 2020 at 6:26 am
MLK had just been released from that jail, and his next journey was to Savannah, Ga. He had a crude draft of this ‘letter’, and as an activist, my mother worked with him and many others. In a church in Savannah, he asked my mother to begin transcribing, formally typing, this thing he penned in Birmingham, and that became what we now know as “Why We Can’t Wait”.
I have many true stories about and from my mother’s time with Dr. King and many other, now famous, ‘drum majors for justice’. That was an exciting time in our history, with so few stories told.
March 14, 2020 at 8:49 am
Wow!! Your mother did that! There were do many unsung SHEROS behind the movement. Thanks for sharing that!