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Friday, December 13, 2013

Letter From Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr.

Letter From Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr.
Audio Book Review
Read by Dion Graham
51 minutes

Marting Luther King Jr's Letter From Birmingham Jail and the Struggle That Changed a Nation

King sits in a jail arrested on Good Friday for standing up for his rights and the rights of others.  On April 12th he is smuggled a newspaper and sees the headline "A Call To Unity" written by 8 clergyman criticizing King and his methods, calling him an "Outsider".  King wrote his reply on April 16, 1963 on anything he could find to write on, the newspaper, scraps of paper and eventually a notepad.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly… Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider."  Every American should read or listen to this letter.  It is one of the most powerful essays ever written.

Dion Graham's voice lent itself to Dr King's cadence and had me imagining that I was actually listening to King recite his essay.  The power of the pen as a means for change is strongly evident in Martin Luther King's eloquent words.  MLK is truly a hero for the people.