Critical Essay on Letter from Birmingham Jail: Equality Movement

Introduction

The fight for equal rights in America is an issue that has taken centuries to fight for, and different personalities have participated in the high course. Equality has been an issue of concern because there are people who migrated to America and obtained citizenship America then became their home. It a great nation but the point of equality has never been sorted out regardless of the several attempts by human rights activists to fight for justice. The African Americans were the worst hit with issues of racial discrimination, and they were accorded unfair treatment even after the abolishing of slave culture. It is in this regard that Martin Luther King junior on the one hand and Malcolm X on the other fought for equality. It is important to note that they were fighting for a typical course, but they had different ideologies.

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In his piece "letter from Birmingham jail" Luther expounds on the need to fight for equality among the African Americans, and he expresses himself in a manner that seemed to be a reply to an issue. He shows his concern that his fight for equality had been termed unwise and untimely because the white people were against it. It was written during a time when segregation was so intense in Alabama that the African people suffered a lot. He is a clergy that not only advocated for equality but did it based on the religious context. His movement was based on religion where he believed that Christianity could help solve the issue of fairness an move that received a lot of criticism from his opponents. Luther's movement involved a lot of demonstrations and law-breaking as he considered this the best option against the unrelenting white community. He believed that direct action was the best way through which the issues could be solved.

On the other hand, Malcom's movement was not based on any religious principles, and he believed that religion is a private affair and when fighting for equality it becomes a hindrance to the solidarity that is needed. He argues that the religious difference will hinder the black people from cooperating and fighting against a common enemy and instead keep the people torn apart and against one another. He advocates for Black Nationalism where the African Americans unite and build a strong political and economic empire that will enable them independent of themselves. In his speech ballot or bullet he nuances a clear picture of the need to avoid the manipulation of the white people whose intention is to divide the people and rule them. He advocates for the black people to leave behind the religious differences and unite together to form a political empire that will enable them to order. Malcolm is viewed as a troublemaker who was against the government and did not achieve much as compared to Luther. However, both personalities had their approaches to fighting for equality.

Conclusion

It is paramount to note that fight for equality in America was a course that could only be achieved through the cooperation of the Africans. Luther and Malcolm had different ideologies in the battle for equality among black people. The African Americans were the worst hit with issues of racial discrimination, and they were accorded unfair treatment even after the abolishing of slave culture. It is in this regard that Martin Luther King junior on the one hand and Malcolm X on the other fought for equality.

Works Cited

King Jr, Martin Luther. LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL. PENGUIN BOOKS, 2018.

Rieder, Jonathan. Gospel of Freedom: Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail and the Struggle that Changed a Nation. Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2014.

Santoro, Wayne A., and Max Fitzpatrick. "The Ballot or the Bullet": The Crisis of Victory and the Institutionalization and Radicalization of the Civil Rights Movement." Mobilization: An International Quarterly 20.2 (2015): 207-229