Letter From Birmingham Jail, and Why It Is Vital For Race Relations In 2015

In 2014, the state of racism in America was defined within two incidents. The protests that became violent in New York, Oakland, and Ferguson. And the fatalities that preceded those protests.

In 1963, demonstrations took place across America, in response to racist conditions throughout America.

There are two very different ideologies in these gatherings that could explain why America is boiling in racial tension in 2015.

We can find those different ideologies in the description of these events. One was a protest. The other a demonstration. In 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr., sought to organize a non-violent demonstration in regard to conditions that we now see as entirely racist. Nobody today will say with any certainty that blacks should not be equal.

In 2014, the deaths of Mike Brown and Eric Garner were not just front-page news, they became beacons for protests. And rightfully so. Neither one of those men deserved to die, and both died at the hand of racism. The protests that followed, were violent.

Which brings us to effectiveness. How effective was King? Well, he was so good at what he did, that racism in America became a torch for change. King was so effective in his methods that he was assassinated by the racist powers that be.

But what was the real effect of King's teachings? Did they change American policy? Did King improve conditions for blacks in the South? What did King influence politically?

To answer these questions, we can look at 2014 and ask ourselves, Where do we stand now, in regard to equality in America?

Politically, it is a hard question to answer. Education and social values have transformed America into a non-segregated country. But the idea of a black leader of the free world, still riles some. And politics can be about who can vote and how, which many are saying is racially motivated.

Socially, the effects are easily visible as well, as egalitarian values have permeated American fabric. We don't segregate buses or schools. We promote equality. In regard to recent protests, many will disagree with me. More on that in a minute...

Economically, there has been change. Possibly, however, that change has not been enough, as blacks are inherently poorer than whites, and have less access to education and jobs.

Fundamentally, changes have been slow to come about. The South is still charged up, and the politics of race are a hotbed of frustration, violence, and ignorance. The recent events in Ferguson and New York attest to that.

Who is to blame?

In the aftermath of Ferguson, protests became riots. Media reported on the barbaric police response as well as the grotesque looting by many protesters. And here we have the crossroads of incorect ideology. One theory is an arbitrary response, condemning the protests, and the other is violence as a means of protest.

In Corvallis, Oregon, after the Ferguson Grand Jury refused to indict, protests spilled into downtown streets, disrupting traffic and otherwise causing a nuisance. Corvallis, a quaint little college town nestled at the foot of a small mountain range, had become an ineffective distraction to the racism in Ferguson and America.

The protest simply did nothing productive. The protesters disagree, saying, "We brought to their attention, our outrage."

That is not true. The response that protests actually got was one of annoyance. People that felt sympathetic to these issues still do, except for the method. Which brings me to King. King was influenced by Thoreau, and Civil Disobedience loomed large in King's ideological growth of the early 1960s. Gandhi was influential to King's nonviolent teachings as well, and King would come back from India in 1959 with a sharpened focus on the teachings of nonviolence.

This is why the Letter From Birmingham Jail is so important. Not only is it America's greatest Civil Rights treasure, it is an ideology that today, we are lost on.

Take the New York incident as an example. Eric Garner was a black man that local police knew had sold untaxed cigarettes in the past. Eric Garner knew that act was illegal. During a confrontation, Garner lost his life after being choked by a New York City policeman, I blame that cop without any doubt, and a change in law enforcement ideology is needed surely.

But what about the politician who wrote that law against untaxed cigarettes, as "illegal?" Do we hold them partly responsible, saying that a law that allows arrest for such a petty thing is wrong?

And what does the freedom of the officer say about race in America? Is this cop a free man because we are an elitist and racist country?

After so many attacks such as this one, many are fed up and ready to take up arms. I understand why and I can empathize, but I would still argue against a violent response. It simply is the same act that stole Garner's life.

King taught us that nonviolence is more effective. In that letter from jail, King said, "You express a great deal of anxiety over our willingness to break laws. This is certainly a legitimate concern."

For race relations and cultural fluency to thrive in modern America, we have to assume that civil responses be nonviolent and effective. We must contact our leaders and educators, and ask them to weigh in. We must ask clergy to get on board, and use that power to facilitate equality. We must ask our children to accept our neighbors, no matter what.

We must agree as a society, that color is meaningless, and that the persons we are, is meaningful.