In commemoration of Martin Luther King Day, I read Letter from Birmingham Jail by Dr. King.  This is a letter written by Dr. King during his time of incarceration in the Birmingham jail after a non-violent protest.  It outlines why he was willing to be arrested for his beliefs and how he believed that it was beneficial to the civil rights movement.  He outlines what occurred and why he is in this situation.

In the first part of this letter, King outlines how a nonviolent campaign can still cause direct action and is even necessary to have anything change.  One question posed in King’s letter is from another addressed to him, “Why direct action, why sit-ins, marches, and so forth? Isn’t negotiation a better path?”.  He addresses how it is better to try and negotiate in situations without escalation.  But in most cases, this is the purpose of direct action.  As people need to cause some sort of tension in a community or society to even start the negotiation process.  This is an idea he cites back to Socrates and is still a very prevalent idea in society today.  I agree with King and how he knows that negotiation isn’t possible without a form of direct action, as there needs to be some sort of catalyst to start the conversation.

King also addresses that many have asked questions like “Why didn’t you give the new administration time to act?” as they believe that he should have just waited to act.  But, waiting would just cause the issue to gain less traction and fade away.  So the need to bring up the issue using direct action was necessary to start the conversation and bring up the issues of injustice and prejudice.  Even if it happens to break the law, much like the Hungarian freedom fighters in the time of the Nazi’s, the argument that if it is for the good of society it should be done regardless of consequences.

Overall, Dr. King and his message to us has been and will always be a relevant message to live by.  As injustice against a certain group of people must be countered with direct action.  This will eventually lead to negotiation and a solution to the issue.  This can even be done without using violence, something that King preached and was very adamant about.  Through his example, we have learned to make changes about our society through direct action, even if it controversial.  If we aren’t willing to ask questions or fight for what we believe in, there is no point in trying to move forward as a society.