,
y
I
II ••• SO must
eethe
n ed for
nonviolent
gadflies to
create the
kind of
ten ion in
society that
will help
we
men. rise
from he
dark depths
of prejudice
and racism
. .
to the
maje tic
h ight of
und r anding
and
brotherhood. II
ff, m here
But more , I am in Bum ngham cause injustice
the th century B.C. I ft th r ",lIag<' iIInn cam d th r "thus
the boundaries of th hom tovms, and just as th Aposd P ul of T rsus and
can1ed the gospel of J u Chri t to th far com rs of th Greco-Roman world, so m I
oompe to carry th gospel of fr om beyond my own home town_ Uke Paul, I must
constantly respond to the Mac donian call for ald.
Moreover, I am'cognizant of th Interrelatedn of aD communi nd t I cannot t
idly by In Atlanta nd not be concern d about what happens In Birmingham. Injustice ny
wher is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an lnescapab network of mutual
Ity, tied In a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects Indirectly.
ever again can we afford to live with the narrow, provindal"outslde agitator" idea. Anyone
who lives ins d the United Slat can never be constd red an outsider anywhere within Its
�� .
You deplore th d monstrations taking place in B rmingham. But your ment, I am
sony to y, 0 e� a imilar cone rn for th conditions that brought ebeet
demonstratlo I am sur that none of you would want to r content with the superficial
kind of sodal analysis that deals merely with effects and does no grappl with underlying
causes, It Is unfortunate that d monstrations are taking place in Birmingham, but It Is even
more unfortunate that the dty's white pow r structure left the Negro community with no
altemaUve. .
In any non VIol nt campaign there re four basic steps: col tion of th facts to determine
whether niusnc elO t. n ,n n. If-puriftca' n, and direct action. W� hev n through
II th se teps In BlllllIll�h, m her can be no g insaying the fact that re iel uuusu e engulfs
th community Birmingham IS probably the most thoroughly segr g ted citv II) th United
States. Its ugly re ord of brutality is widely known. Negr have ex peri need grossly unjust
treatment in the courts. Ther have been more unsolved bombing of N ym homes and
church sin Brrrrnngham tl en III any.other dty in the nation. These ar the hard. brutal facts
of the case. On th asi of these conditions, Negro lead rs sought to n goliat WIth the dty
fathers But th Ian r consi tently refused to engage in good-faith 'negotiation
Then. last pt mber, cam til opportunity to talk with leaders of Brrrningharn's economic
community In th course of th negotiations, certain promi 5 were mad" by the mer
chants-for example, to remove the stores' humiliating racial signs. On th basis of these
promises, the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth and the leaders of the Alabama Chri tian Move
ment for Human Rights agreed to a moratorium on all demonstrations As th v..: eks and
months w nt by. we realized that we were the victims of a broken promise A few signs,
briefly removed, returned; the others remained.
As In so many past experiences. our hopes had be n blasted, and the shadow of deep
disappointment ettled upon us We had no alternative except to prepare for direct action,
whereby we would present our very bodies as a means of laying our case before the con
sdence of the local and the national community. Mindful of the difficulti\?s invol 'E'd. we
decided to undertake a process of self-purificdtion. We began a series of workshops. on non
violence, and we repeatedly asked ourselves, "Are you able to a(L 'pI blows without retalia
tion?" "Are you able to endure the or<deal of jail?" We decided to schedule our Ir ct-action
program for the Easter season, realizing that except for <;:hristmas. lhl IS th maIn shopping
period of the year Knowing that a strong economic-withdrawal pro��':;.Ta ",'.Juid the by
product of direct action, Wt! f It that thl would be the best time to bring pre sure to bear on
the merchants for the needed change.
Then·it occurred to us that Birmingham's mayoral election was coming up in March. and
we speedil)' decided lu pv tpone action until after election day. Wh 'n we discol.'('r.,ri that the
Commlssion�r of Public Safety, Eugene "Bull" Connor, had piled up enough votes tp be In
the run-off, we decided again to postpone action until the day afte .the run-off so that the
demonstrations could not be used to cloud the issues. Uke many others, 'we waIted to
Mr. Connor defeated, and to this end we endured postponement after postponement. Hav
Ing aided in this community need, we felt that our direct-action program could be deIa�d
no longer.
You may well ask, "Why direct action? Why sit-ins, marches, and so forth? Isn't negotiation
a better path?" You are qulte right in calling for negotiations. Indeed, this is the very purpose
of direct action. Nonviolent direct actions seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a
tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate IS forced to confront the
lssue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that It can no longer be ignored. My citing the creation
of tension part of the work �f the nonviolent-resister may sound rather shocking. But I
m conf that I am not afraid of the word "tension." I hav earnestly opposed violent
tension, but there Is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which necessary for growth.
Just as Socrates felt that It was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that Individuals
could rise from the bondag of myths and half-truths to the unf nered realm of creative
analysts and objective appraisal, so must see the need for nonVIolent gadflie to create
the kind of tension In soctety that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and
racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood
The purpose of our direct-action program Is to create a situation S 'ri i ·packed that it will
Inevitably open the door to negotiation. L therefore concur with you an your call for negotia
tion. Too long ha our beloved Southland been bogged down in ;, Ir.'!]lr ffort to live In
monologue rather than dialogue
One of the bllsic points in your statement is that the' action that I and my associates have
taken in Birmingham Is untimely. Some have ask d "Why didn't you �ve the new'dty
admlnlstri'lt'l)n bm� to act?" The only answer that I can 've to thi query is that the new
Birmingham administration must be prodded about as much as th outgomg one, before it
will act WI' are sadly mistaken if we feel that the I clion of Albert Boutwell as mayor wlU
bring the m lIennaum to B rmlngham. While Mr. Boutw",11 is a much more gentle person than
Mr. Connor, they are both segregationists, d dicated to maintenance of the status quo. I have
h ped that Mr. Boutw II will be reasonable enough to see th futility of massive re nee to
desegregation. But he will not e th without pre ure from devotees of dvil rights. My
friends, I must say to you that we have not made lS single gain in civil rights without deter
mined leg I and nonviolent pressure. Lamentably, It is an historical fact that privileged groups
seldom YlV up th Ir privil ge voluntarily. Individuals may see the moral light and voluntartly
give up their unJu t posture; but. ReInhold Niebuhr has rem oded us, groups tend to be
more Immoral than individuals.
We know thrOugh pa nful xperlence'that freedom .. never voIuntMly � by the oppiEWCA,
It must be demand d by the oppr d. Frankly, I have y t to engage in a d red-adlon
mpa gn that wa "well-timed" In view of thote who have not uffered unduly frOl)'\ the
of segregation. For years now I have h rd the word "Wait!" It ring in th ear of
ry Negro with piercing famiUartty. this "Wait" has almost alwlSYS meant "Never." We
must come to e, with one of our d1st1ngu h d jurists, that' 'justice too long d layed Is justice
dena d:'
W have t d for more than 340 for our constitutional and God-9V'en � The
nations of and Ah1ca are moYtng with speed toward n ng political In<Mpen-
dence, but we still cr p at hone- nd-buggy pace tow rd gaining a cup of coff at a lunch
counter. Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the nglng darts of segregation to
say, "Walt." But when you have seen vtdous mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at wiD
.-
u
a
ti t concern S nc
of 1954 ou
do I for consdousIy to
and obeying others?" the r
nd unj I would be th 0 advoca ng ju la . One h not on
Uti', mor I re �I b ty to obey Just law Lonvcr Iy, on h
disobey un . I would with t Au u In t� . .. :� t law no w t
Now. n th two? How doe n ermI wh a
ju t or uruu t? A J law man-made cod tl t squ 5 with th moral law or the
God. An unjust w a code that out of hannony with th moral w. To put it in th rms
of St Thomas Aq : An unju law a human I w that is not rooted In ernaIlaw nd
natural law. Any w th t uplifts human perso ty ju t Any law t d human
perso uty . All tion rut rto unju t h., ... " gregation d' orts the soul
and d m ty. It th tor a f of periority and th
segregat d f of inferiority. Scgr non, to u tenninology of the JewIIh
philosoph r Martin Suber, tut an "I-tt" relationship for n "I-thou" relationship nd
nd up r; ng �n to the tu of thin H nee don � not only poll
economk:ally, and IOdo&ogicalIy unsound, It i mor Uy wrong and nful. P ul h
that n paratlon. Is not don an existential expr on of man's tragic separation,
h wful ngement, m nfulness? Thus It that I can urge men to obey the 1954
dedsion of the Supreme Court. for it ls morally right; and I can urge ther:n 0 disobey
gation ordinances, for they are moraUy wrong.
Let us consider a more c:ona exampl of ju t and unju t laws. An unjust law is a code
that a numerk:al or power majoI1ty group compel a minority group to obey but does not
make binding on itself. Th Is difference made legal. By the same token, a just law a cod
that a rna onty compe a minonty to follow and that It Is willing to foUow t If. This fOrne-
made
Let me give another explanation. A law Is unjust if it is Inflicted on a minority that.
result of being denied the right to'vote, had no part in enacting or devtslng the law. Who can
y tha legislaturt" of Alabama which set up that state's segregation Ia democrati-
y ed? Throughout Alabaina sorts of devious methods used to prev nt Negroes
from becorrung r red YOten, and there u som counties In which, even though
constitute majority of th population, not a stnyle Negro as r . t red. Can any law enacted
under'such drcumstanca be considered dernocraticalJy structured?
Sometimes a law ls just on its face and unjust In application. For nee. I haw been
alii ed on a charge of parading without a pennU. Now th Is nothing wrong In having an
ordinance which requires a permit for a parade. But such an ordinance becomes un} when
Is used to maintain ...,.egdon and to deny d the Ant-Amendment prtvIIege of peaceful
bay and proteIl
I hope you are able to the disUnction I am trying to polnt out In no sense do I advocate
ev ding or defying the law, as would the rab d segregation That would lead to anarchy.
On who btl ks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a wiDingness to accept
the penalty. I submit that n Individual who breaks a law that contdence t him Is unjust,
nd who ngIy accepCs the penalty of imprisonment In order to arouse the conscience of
the community OWl' I in ustice.is In ty expressing the highest respect for law.
Of course, there is nothing new about th kind of dvil dl�. It was evldenced
subUmeIy in the refusal of Shadrach. Meshach, and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebu
chadnezzar, on the ground that a higher moral law w at stake. It w practiced superbly by
th t!arly Christians, who were to face hungry lions and th excruciating pain of chop
ping blocks rather than submit to certain unjust, laws of the Roman Emplr . To a degree,
ac.ademic freedom a raIIty today because Socra practiced dvII disobedience. In our
own nation. the Boston T Party repraented a rna act of ctvU disobedience.
We should neva forget that everything Adolf Hitler did In Germany w "legal" and every
thing the Hungarian freedom ftghters did In Hungary was "illegal." It was ulDegaI" to aid and
comfort a Jew l!l Hider's Germany. Even so. I am sure that, had I lived In Germany at the
time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers. If today I lived In a Communist
country where certain pnndpies dear to the ChrlstSan faith are su�. I would openly
advoca disobevInQ that counav's nti-reJIqIou laws.
I must fMk'? two honest conf Ions to you. my Christian and Jewish broth�. Arst, I must
conft'SS that over the past I\!w years I have been 'gravely disappointed \Vith th) white mod
erate. I hi'lvl" alr"'"c;t reached the rt"grC'ttabl conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block
in his stride toward frcC'riom is not th� While Citizen's CoullcI1cr or the Ku Klux KJann�r, but
the white modcldl�, who is more d voted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative
peace which Is the abwnce of tension to a positive peace which Is the preS<.>nce of justice;
who constantly says, "I agree with you in the goal you seek. but I cannot agree with your
methods of direct actton": who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another
man's freedom; who lives by i1 Ii yllu . I concept of tim and who constantly advises the
Negro to walt for a "more convenient son." ShaDow understanding from people of good
\\Iii: is more frustrating than absolute mi understanding from people of ill wil.1. Lukewenn
acceptara Is much more bewildering than outright rejection.
I had hoped that the white moderate VoIOUId understand that law and order exist for the
purpose of ambUshing justice and that when they fall In th put"p05t they become the dan
geroutIy structured dams that block the flow of sodal pt'Ogf • I had hoped that the white
modera would understand that the present tentlon in the South Is a necessary phase of the
transition from an obnoxJou negative peace, in which the Negro passlvely accepted his
unju �t, to a substantive and positive peace, In which aU men win respect the dignity
and worth of human personality. ActuaDy, we who engage In nonviolent direct action are not
the craton of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that already
alive. W. brtng It out in the open. where It can be n and dealt with. Like a boil that can
never be cured so long as It is covered up but must be opened with aD Its ugliness to the
natural medk:ines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tension Its exposure
creates, to the light of human conscience and the elr of national opinion, before it can be
cured.
In your statement you a rt that our actions, even though peaceful, must be condemned
because they preclpUate vtoIence. But Is th a 1ogic4I astCI1Ion? Isn't th� like condemning a
robbed man beau his precipitated the evil act of robbery? Isn't this
Iika condemning Socra becauac his unswerving commitment 'to truth and his phUosophlcal
Inquiries predpltated the act by the misguided populace In which they made him drink hem
lock? Isn't th like condemning J� because his unique God-consc;lousn and never
ceasing deYoaon to Goers wiD predpltated the evd act of audftxlon? W must come to see
that. as the federal COUI1I have consIItendy afftrmed, It II Wrong to urge an Individual to case
Nt dortI to gIIn hII basic � rWl the q\MIt INlY pndptta violence.
Sodety must pnMct the robbed and punIIh robber. .
I had ., hoped that the modera would retect the myth concerning time In ,..,...
to the struggle for freedom. I ha just·receiYed a letter from • brother in Texas. He
WI1 ."AD Christians � t the colored people recetve equal �ts even , but
• It is poIIIbie that you are in too wat a hurry. It has 'taken Ou1stIanlty aImoIt two
thousand yean to accomplish what It has. The t.eachlngs of Ch ttme to come to
earth." Such an ttItude ems from a tragic mll()onc:eptlon of tlme, from the strangely ina-
IonIII nolan that IOIMthIng In the wry flow of lime Inevitably cure aU
Actu.Iy, II neutnI; It can be UNCi dacNcttwIy or constructively. More nd
more I .... of wUI have UMd much men than haw the
people of good W. haw to repent In generation not merely for hateful words
nd actions of the bad people, but' for the appeIIing nee of the good people. Human
progII never roDs in on whftIs of iMYItablltty; It comes through the efforts of men
wlJllng to be co-wodwn with God, and without th hard worit, time f becomes an ally 0
the forca of �tion. We mu u time creatively, In the knowiedge that the time Is always
ripe to do right Now Is the time to make roJ the Promise of demoaac:y nd transform our
pending national Into a au psalm of brotherhood. Now time to ft our
national poley from the of' racial rock of human tty.
Y 04J k of our actMty In extreme.. At I ppoInted that
fellow clergymen would my nonviolent efforts nth nklng
contlnu d on 8-8