Martin Luther King

     Martin Luther King day was on  monday.  So, I have been reading a lot of his speeches and other things he wrote.  Something that touched me was his letter from a birmingham jail.  What was so inspiring was the compassion he showed for others, while he himself was in jail fighting for the vary people he was writing the letter for.


     King showed not only how much he cared, but his writing was also really moving.  I think that the best line of the letter was, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly."  This shows how much he cared about America and about equality.  It also shows his view of his purpose on the world.  He would only be content with his life if his race was treated with the fairness and respect that he fought for.


     Martin Luther King was not anti-police or against the government.  He was for justice.  He was against however, the way that racists had manipulated the justice system to make racism law and a part of life in the South.  As he said, "Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice, and that when they fail to do this they become dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress."  This shows that he was actually more pro 'justice' and policing than those who arrested him.  


     MLK day has become just a day off in America.  We need to make it more about what MLK stood for.  When Black votes are being taken away all around the country, we need to live up to the legacy of the greatest activist in American History.  He is no Santa as he has been portrayed.  He was a man who went into dangerous situations intentionally for the betterment of a people.  He may not have had the best family life, but there is nobody who I respect more.  

Martin Luther King Jr. Letter From a Birmingham Jail