RE-POST: MLK's "Letter From a Birmingham Jail" Applies to Us, Too

In the spirit of today, a holiday celebrating the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr., I wanted to re-post this analysis of Dr. King's amazing letter.

On-line Magazine, Pam's House Blend has posted an analysis (Part One, Part Two) of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." The break down of the letter transfers the context in which it was written and applies it to our current struggle for civil rights.

The argument here is that MLK didn't only have African American civil rights in mind when he wrote the historical letter, but all minority groups, including the LGBT community. Listing his gay activist contemporaries, such as Bayard Rustin, Dr. King's chief organizer, it convincingly shows that MLK had us in mind as well. It also reminds us that his widow, Coretta Scott King, openly supported gay rights and confirmed that her husband did as well.

I highly recommend that you read the letter as a whole and draw inspiration from it, keeping in mind that Dr. King supported us. Draw encouragement from it. We're at the beginning of a new and potentially historic year, but we're also suffering from fatigue. Many view the African American civil rights movement through the condensing lens of history, forgetting that the struggle took many years and countless setbacks. Know that we face that same struggle. Know that it won't happen over night. But take heart - if history is any indication, it WILL happen.