All of them were harassed because of that statement.” “They got a ton of hate mail from segregationists.

“They were widely hailed for being among the most progressive religious leaders in the South,” Bass said. George Wallace’s harsh segregationist rhetoric, warning it could lead to violence. In January 1963, those same clergy had signed a letter in response to Gov. King’s letter, with its criticism of the white clergy opposition, made them look as if they were opposed to the civil rights movement.īut their positions were more nuanced than that, said Samford professor Jonathan Bass, whose 2001 book, “Blessed are the Peacemakers,” focuses on the writing of King’s letter and the personal stories of the eight clergy King addressed. The eight clergy have been pilloried in history for their stance. The letter was distributed to the media, published in newspapers and magazines in the months after the Birmingham demonstrations, and it appeared in his book, “Why We Can’t Wait,” in 1964. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with.” We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. Actually, we who engage in non-violent direct action are not the creators of tension. “I had hoped,” King wrote at one point, “that the white moderate would understand that the present tension in the South is a necessary phase of the transition from an obnoxious negative peace, in which the Negro passively accepted his unjust plight, to a substantive and positive peace, in which all men will respect the dignity and worth of human personality. King’s letter eloquently stated the case for racial equality and the immediate need for social justice.

Mlk jr letter from birmingham jail