Respuesta :
My Dear Fellow Clergymen:
While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely." Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work. But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.
I think I should indicate why I am here in Birmingham, since you have been influenced by the view which argues against "outsiders coming in." I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. We have some eighty five affiliated organizations across the South, and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights. Frequently we share staff, educational and financial resources with our affiliates. Several months ago the affiliate here in Birmingham asked us to be on call to engage in a nonviolent direct action program if such were deemed necessary. We readily consented, and when the hour came we lived up to our promise. So I, along with several members of my staff, am here because I was invited here. I am here because I have organizational ties here.
But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.
Explanation:
Dear classmates,
I am writing this letter to explain the reasons why I have decided to promote the boycott of this year's prom. The main reason why I am acting in this way is because I believe that choosing a Prom Queen and King is an unfair practice that can make many students feel less. It also celebrates empty values such as popularity and beauty.
When we choose a Queen and a King of a class, we are accepting that we consider some people in the class to be better than others. We are also saying that those people deserve recognition and awards. I believe this is an unjust practice that has no place in school. Moreover, these people are elected for reasons that I do not consider important, and that are not relevant to education.
I know many of you do not agree with me, and criticize me. But I hope that you will consider my ideas, and eventually come support us in this fight. I know that I am in detention now for spreading these ideas, but I am ready to take my punishment as long as it contributes to making a change in this school.
Sincerely,
John Smith
