Discrimination In Birmingham Jails

Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963, was perhaps the most racially segregated city in the United States and Dr. King believed it was the perfect time to speak up. He proclaimed “Three hundred years of humiliation, abuse and deprivation [we] cannot be expected to find voice in a whisper (p. 3).” African American’s had reached a point where they were no longer moving towards freedom, but rather, asserting it. One of King’s major strengths involved changing the function of jails in society. Previously, jail was used as a threat of pain, intimidation, and isolation. However, later on large groups of activists, filled up jails, and made jail less of a punishment. The African American population was done waiting for equality and fed up with being told

It teaches that non-violence methods are just as productive and practical, if not more. Furthermore, today is the perfect time for discussion about the discrimination and prejudice that still exists and can be traced back to this book. There is still slavery in many countries, and sex trafficking is a huge issue. Even today there still exists in the South, and some places in the North, some unjust officials implement their authority in the name of justice to practice injustice against minorities and people of color. Racial profiling, which is the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual's race, ethnicity, religion or national origin appears in the news every day. Just as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. could not wait any longer, we should not either. Even if we do not individually purposefully feel discriminated or disadvantaged, we need to care about one another. Empathy and sympathy play a role in these types of conversations. Throughout the the book Dr. King tells the stories of people hundreds of miles away from each other, yet connected by the same thing: a desire for change. King uses stories of brutality in the book, such as how mayor Bull Conner, would turn on water hoses and spray unarmed protestors, to portray the truth of how they were being treated. Today, we continue to see these stories played out for us in the news using the slogan #blacklivesmatter. These reports tug at people’s emotions and motivate them to want to make a