MLK Jr. Day

“We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” (paragraph 14).

Wow. I’ve never read “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” but I’m glad that I did. MLK Jr. was a deeply religious and well-spoken man whose life ended all too soon. It is amazing to me that he risked being put in jail so that he could stand up for minorities everywhere in America. There are not many people in this day and age who are selfless enough to do that.

Sadly, this letter is still relevant today. The issues that he raises about the inequalities of blacks are issues that America is still dealing with. I feel like high schools across the country should be required to read this. I think it might help some people see that we should set our skin differences aside and love each other.  I know at my predominately white high school, it would have been nice to read.

My favorite part of the speech was paragraph 15. He paints a heartbreaking picture of what it must have been like to be black in America. The whole paragraph is so much more personal and emotional than any other paragraph in the letter and it really just grabbed my attention and made me want to do something!

“…in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty” (last paragraph)

If MLK Jr. were alive today, I think he would be honored that we have a day dedicated to him. I also believe that he would be proud of the way America has progressed in terms of equality. Although our racial relations are far from being perfect, I believe our country has definitely gotten better and everyone should take this day to thank him for giving his life in order to make ours better.