Stasis Theory- The Argument of "Letter from Birmingham Jail"

While in jail for his involvement in protests against segregationist policies in Birmingham Alabama, Dr. Martin Luther King defends his method of peaceful resistance to unjust laws.  King states that political leaders refuse to address egregious acts such as police brutality and bombings of black homes and churches, despite negotiation.  There so, King believes blacks must seek “direct action” in order to obtain justice.

           If implemented, nonviolent direct action creates enough tension in a community such that those who refuse to negotiate must address protestors concerns.  King states that whites’ resistance to address blacks’ concerns stems from the fact that “freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”

            King validates the morality of his method of peaceful resistance when he explains that justice is a “God –given and constitutional right.”  The fact that blacks were still waiting for fair treatment violates these rights. Segregationist laws that discriminated against hiring blacks are unjust laws.  Unjust laws are immoral.  King’s method of direct action counters these unjust laws humanely and without violence.  Despite the risk of arrest for his actions, King advocates nonviolent protest because “oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever.”  He believes violence will overturn the movement if blacks do not express their emotions and concerns associated with injustice in nonviolent ways.

             Ultimately, King believes that blacks need not openly express hatred or remain complacent with segregationist polices.  Instead, blacks should continue to disobey demeaning unjust laws.  King affirms that nonviolent protest should fuel the Civil Rights Movement.  Similarly to Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit,” King’s work brings awareness to injustice in the South.  Both works communicate their messages to those who do not necessarily face the concerns addressed in their writings.  For example, King brings awareness to the practice of employment discrimination in Birmingham through peaceful protests.  Billie Holiday sings of lynching in the “pastoral scene of the gallant South.”

~Tylar