I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid. left their villages and carried their “thus saith the Lord” far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C.

I am here because I have organizational ties here.īut more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. So I, along with several members of my staff, am here because I was invited here. We readily consented, and when the hour came we lived up to our promise. Several months ago the affiliate here in Birmingham asked us to be on call to engage in a nonviolent direct action program if such were deemed necessary. Frequently we share staff, educational and financial resources with our affiliates.

We have some eighty five affiliated organizations across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights. I think I should indicate why I am here in Birmingham, since you have been influenced by the view which argues against “outsiders coming in.” I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms. If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work. While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities “unwise and untimely.” Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas.

King's letter from birmingham jail