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Letter from Birmingham Jail: Section 1: Why Birmingham Summary

It Has to Do with All the Racists in Charge

  • Dr. King starts off by letting the clergymen know he gets a lot of "criticism," shall we say, and that he and his people mostly don't have time to pay attention to the haters. But in this case, he's making an exception.
  • He goes on to explain that he's not an outsider, as they claimed. The protestors are based in Atlanta, and they've been called to Birmingham by a local affiliate.
  • Not that he needs to justify his presence on such official grounds, he says. Birmingham needs some preaching.
  • He talks about the interconnection of all people, how everyone's in this together. And if that wasn't enough, he reminds his readers that they're all Americans.