A Letter From 1963 to Today c/o Martin Luther King ATTN: America

noah and his mom" tmcdaily

excerpts from Letter From Birmingham Jail

At first I was rather disappointed that fellow clergymen would see my nonviolent efforts as those of an extremist... but... I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you"... So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we viii be. We we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremist for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice?

[There are] two opposing forces... One is a force of complacency.. so drained of self-respect and a sense of "somebodiness" that they have adjusted... The other force is one of bitterness and hatred, and it comes perilously close to advocating violence...

I have been gravely disappointed with [those] more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"...

... I suppose I should have realized that few members of the oppressor race can understand the deep groans and passionate yearnings of the oppressed race, and still fewer have the vision to see that injustice must be rooted out by strong, persistent and determined action...

Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection...

You warmly commended the Birmingham police force for... if you were to watch them push and curse old women and young Negro girls; if you were to see them slap and kick old Negro men and young boys; if you were to observe them, as they did on two occasions, refuse to give us food because we wanted to sing our grace together...

We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal..."

Let us all hope that the dark clouds.. will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.

Yours for the cause of Peace and Brotherhood,

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

Comments

[Rue]

Amen.

[Gerry]

We've come so far, borne on the wings of Reverend King's dream that I like to think that he would have felt some satisfaction at what he helped America accomplish.

We have a long way to go, but have travelled together a long way indeed from 1963.

Thanks for another great thought, Brother R.