Time for MLK

Time for MLK

Having spent a quarter of my life living in Birmingham, Alabama, I have read Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” on probably more occasions than I can remember and certainly far too many times to count. What I find particularly remarkable about Dr. King’s writing is that each time I read it, I see something new, in a different way than I had reading it previously.

            This time I was particularly aware, due to the theme of this course, of “time.” In his letter, Dr. King recognizes and explains a reality which people who are not of color struggle to comprehend. There is never a good time to challenge the status quo. There is never a good time for people of color to stand up and challenge the racism in this country. There is never a good time for people in power to resolve the discrimination against minorities. Dr. King recognizes that no matter when people protest or stand up for the rights of the oppressed, there will be push back from the oppressors. Such reality explains the necessity for action NOW.

            Dr. King says that he has heard people tell him to wait for things to change, but that “‘wait’ has almost always meant ‘never,’” (King). For Martin Luther King, his struggles exist in the past, present and will endure in the future without immediate action. The reason Dr. King is writing this powerful letter while he is in jail, rather than waiting until he is released, is because Dr. King and the oppressed African American community cannot afford to “wait” for their rights any longer.