In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested and jailed in Birmingham, AL.
From his jail cell, he wrote one of the most important indictments of American racism and moral complacency, "Letter From a Birmingham Jail." okra.stanford.edu/transcription/…
LDF represented Dr. King throughout his years of leadership—during the 1963 Birmingham campaign, in Selma in 1965, and in many other places in the South.
In her book, LDF lawyer Constance Baker Motley recalled visiting Dr. King while he was detained in GA with Ralph Abernathy:
Dr. King had come to Birmingham as part of the SCLC campaign to end segregation in the city. Black people, organized, and trained in nonviolent confrontational tactics, executed marches and sit-ins. pbs.org/video/religion…
The Birmingham Police Department, led by Eugene "Bull" Connor retaliated against the protestors, including children, with high-pressure water jets and attack dogs.
From his Birmingham jail cell, Dr. King wrote: "We know through painful experiences that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." #MLK50
The Birmingham campaign was successful. Bull Conner was removed from his position at the head of the police department, and the Black population of the city was given more access to the city's public places. #MLK50
From the victory in Birmingham, Dr. King turned to join other civil rights organizations in planning the 1963 march on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. #MLK50
The March on Washington had specific demands: an end to segregation, strong civil rights laws, protection from police brutality, a $2 minimum wage (around $16 today), and self-government for Washington, D.C. #MLK50
More than a quarter of a million people attended the March, making it the largest gathering of protestors in Washington, D.C.'s history. It was there that Dr. King delivered his most famous speech.
Listen to his historic remarks here: archive.org/details/MLKDre… #MLK50
It is this view of Dr. King, standing before the crowds in Washington, optimistic and sharing his dream of a future he would never see come true, that is imprinted on the American imagination.
But it is not where his work ended. #MLK50
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.