Abernathy's And The Walls Came Tumbling Down: An Autobiography

Every movement with the intent to create change must begin with a foundation of beliefs. These beliefs form the basis of convictions and ideals that those firmly rooted in the movement will act upon. In the 1960's Civil Rights Movement, religion played a major role. We explore these ideas in the March trilogy, written by John Lewis. Church gatherings and meeting places served as important locations for inspiration and refuge. Religious images and leaders, including Jesus Christ and Mahatma Gandhi, set an example the activists aimed to follow. The Social Gospel was pivotal in creating the underlying philosophy of the movement, while Islam may have been a source of tension.

The Civil Rights Movement was a critical time in the history of the United States of America. In this time of fighting, brutality, and injustice, leaders arose to fight for equality for all, one, in particular, was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King is well-renowned for believing in something and standing up for it, even though the repercussion of his actions resulted in serving time in jail. While he served his time in Birmingham, he wrote a lengthy letter to inspire and admonish the nation. This letter was addressed to two groups, the Church and the White moderates, that contained wisdom in the form of three themes, one of which is let them have more time almost always means never.

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s mission is to bring forth justice in a society tarnished by injustice. Negro citizens stood by and obeyed the injustice directed towards them by the U.S. government. King refuses to obey the ideals of society and yearns to enlighten Negro citizens to overcome injustice, for they are citizens guaranteed rights by the law. There is opposition to MLK’s mission; eight clergymen believe that King’s work is “unwise and untimely” indicating that patience is the only way to deal with injustice. The clergymen’s ideology regarding civil rights influences Negro citizens to adhere to society’s ideals and obey what King believes are unjust laws. This relationship between King and the clergymen is symbolically represented in Plato’s

In Sophocles’ Antigone and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Antigone and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. used resistance against powerful leaders to follow their morals and make a statement. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s approach towards the reconstruction of society’s cultural understanding of segregation used civil disobedience in a more public and large-scale approach, whereas Antigone’s use of civil disobedience defied the law in a much more private, small-scale way to do what she believed what was right. Compared to Antigone, Dr. King’s approach was more strategic and planned out. In addition to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s advocacy for equal treatment and Antigone’s dedication to obey the gods, they used

The author uses characterization, symbolism, and theme to demonstrate African American viewpoints during the civil rights movement.

There is little debate among historians that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Congressman John Lewis are arguably two of the most important men in the Civil Rights Movement. Both of these men, Dr. Martin Luther King, in context of his involvement with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and John Lewis, in context of his involvement with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, left indelible impacts on the trajectory and success of the civil rights movement writ-large. While it is important to recognize the collective achievement of each of these men and the organizations in which they served, it is also important to recognize the reality that both of these men occupied distinct political positions within the movement which ultimately changed the ways in which they both would foresee the actions that they thought would be important and essential to the success of the movement.

In Birmingham, Alabama between 1957 and 1962 seventeen black churches and homes had been bombed, racial tension continued to grow, and more and more African Americans were being killed. Although the population of Birmingham was 40% African American, there seemed little hope for a political solution to the racial divide; of 80,000 registered voters, only 10,000 were black due to a barrier that was placed on the new state constitution of Alabama. One of these barriers was an annual poll tax that had to pay for two years before the new election season. African Americans in Mississippi could barely afford the necessities in order to live such as food, clothes, and a roof over their head. African Americans were the poorest part of Mississippi’s population. The other barrier that was placed in the new state constitution was a literacy test. It required a person seeking to register to vote to read a section of the state constitution and explain it to the county clerk, a white man, who processed voter registrations. This new law was setup for African Americans to fail. Along with many other civil rights leaders and members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Dr. Martin Luther King traveled to Birmingham, Alabama to lead and participate in several boycotts, marches, and picketing leading up to Dr. Martin Luther King’s arrest. While being incarcerated, Dr. King wrote an open letter more known as The “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. In this letter, King highlights many

referred to this book by Van Woodward as “the historical bible of the civil rights movement” because it spoke about the difficulties of race relations and brought attention to what blacks went through to get to where they are today. Martin Luther King Jr. was a respected figure and had a dream for equality among blacks and whites. King liked the message that this book provided. Van Woodward writes “striking incongruities appeared between the needs and moods of the black ghetto and the goals and strategies of the civil rights crusade, as typified by the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr., and voiced in his lyrical dream” (Van Woodward, 193).

The first two paragraphs in his book possess powerful diction that describe the living conditions of African Americans as “vermin-infested” and “rickety”. Martin Luther King joins in their time of suffering because he too has faced the hardships of being a colored man in a condescending white society. The description of the two Negro children demonstrates the knowledge King has about the horrific environment that families and all African Americans are living in because of white supremacy. He analyzes the concept of “no promotions for the Negro” in stores, but employs “no promotions” in life and rights for African Americans by detailing their “all-Negro” ambience. The vivid vernacular captures a sense of comfort and understanding to the Negro community. Through King’s loaded diction and the concept of an equal society, the African American people grasp a desire to enforce change, whereas the non-Negros recognize the harsh conditions they are creating for the African

If you didn’t know, Ralph Abernathy was an author and he wrote a book about the controversial autobiography of MLK and his involvement in Civil Rights. Abernathy was a member of CORE (Congress on Racial Equality) and an executive for the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference). One of his memorable quote

The mass demonstrations, featured in Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter happened in 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama and were dedicated to protesting the racial segregation in the state. The letter written by King was the response to the criticism of his participation in the protest. In the letter, King explains the background of the mass protest and presents the facts that preceded the decision to organize one as well as gives justifications for the reasons to join the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights. The central debate faced by King and analyzed in his letter comes down to one question: was it morally justified to participate in this campaign?

“Across the miles they joined hands and took a firm, forward step. It was a step that rocked the richest, most powerful nation to its foundation (x),” starts Martin Luther King’s Why We Can’t Wait with an optimistic tone that reappears several times throughout the text. Although the Civil Rights Movement was the culmination of restless feelings within the African-American population, King describes the movement with hope for the future. Multiple factors triggered the Civil Rights Movement in 1963, but it was the standpoint of individuals within the society that produced its ending result.

Activists like Martin Luther King Jr. organized protests right up to his assassination, showing that the times of change had not ended. And, as before, the government responded again. “From 1950 to 1978, Clarence Mitchell and Joseph Rauh were the LCCR’s (Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights) chief lobbyists for civil rights issues” (“The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom”). Clarence Mitchell and Joseph Rauh made significant progress in the area as well, as “Mitchell and Rauh successfully lobbied for the passage of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, and 1964, the Voting Rights Acts of 1965, 1970, and 1975” (“The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom”). Ultimately, while civil rights is still an issue today, we can look back and be proud of what we have already

When it comes to debate about the success of the Albany Movement, one major pattern emerges. Those whose allegiance belongs to Martin Luther King tend to characterize the movement as either a complete failure, or as valuable solely due to its role in providing a learning experience for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) during its mission in Birmingham. Likewise, those that believe that the Albany Movement was a success in its own right do not maintain strong bonds with King, but instead value the grassroots elements of the effort. The reason for this pattern is due to King’s own interpretation of what victory entails. To King and his supporters, a successful mass action movement required not only the fulfillment of demands and nationwide headlines, but also federal intervention. In contrast, scholars and activists that are more aligned with the vision of community empowerment wager their opinion of success on the mobilization of the formerly quiescent black community. Furthermore, those that hold a King-centric point of view perceive the barriers the Albany Movement faced as signs of defeat, rather than indicators of persistence and organizational success like grassroots supporters. All in all, the defining factor that determines whether activists and historians consider the Albany Movement as a success or as a failure depends upon their view of Martin Luther King and grassroots organization.

This book was written by a true iconic figure that has played a role in putting an end to social discrimination. The way this graphic narrative is deserving praise in recognizing the time periods from then to know and how they have changed. This era that fought for the recognition and the civil rights movement has made me feel like the world is constantly moving forward and chaining. This civil movement was a very powerful movement towards racial differences and social segregation. I had never heard of this book there was a couple things I did not know about until after reading this book. I did not know that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; formed the Nashville Student Movement, which led to protests against class segregation and sit-ins., laws