WTF: The Creep ft. Nicki Minaj

That's Still My Joint: End Of The Road---Boyz II Men

The End of The Road

Are you at The End of the Road? If so, what do you do when you feel like you have reached The End? What do you do when you know you have done all that you can to improve your life, repair your broken family ties, and/or fix your relationship that seems to betting get worse by the day. What do you do when your out of options and you can't continue to go in the same direction you be traveling in? What do you do if you truly believe you are at The End of the Road.

Well, I'm glad you asked. Here is my solutions to all of you who feel like you are at The End of the Road. First off, you need to find out who is responsible for your trip. What that means is, see how you ended up at The End of this Road. Did you take yourself there, or did someone you chose to follow, love, or care for aid you in ending up at The End of This Road? Once you have figured that out, then you need to decide was the journey worth it? What did you learn from the journey and are you willing to take that trip all over again if you have to? Lastly, you need to look left, right, ahead of you and behind you to see if you have really reached The End of The Road. If there is another direction you can go in, then perhaps you haven't reached The End of the Road, you might have reached The End of That Road.

What may seem to be The End may just be your Beginning. Sometimes we have to go through something to really get somewhere. Take a moment and really examine your situation, have you really reached The End of The Road, or are you just tired of traveling in the same direction? The End of The Road just signifies the need to stop for a moment and decide what your new destination should be.

HE'S BACK!!! Mystikal - Uh Oh Ft. Jazelle

New Music: Talib Kweli "Cold Rain"

This Guy Has Some Big Cojones!!!

My Man, Get It How You Live!!!

Nyce Guys Finish Last

I am convinced that Nyce Guys Finish Last and no one can tell me different. Now, this may be one of those blogs that some of you will say, "your just talking about yourself and how people interact with you." That may be true, but as one of the last gentlemen alive, I can use my own experiences as evidence to make certain postulations (look it up). So, anywho, I truly believe Nyce Guys Finish Last. Not by choice, but because of some sick synergy between women and men. If you all know me, you know that I am notorious for my word usage and analogies. One of my most famous one liners was born in my law class in undergrad. We were having a discussion about dating in college and the relationships between women and men. The ladies were talking about how men were dogs and how hard it is to find a good man. The guys on the other hand, weren't really responded except for the few that had NO CHANCE with any female in the room or any female in human form for that matter. At the climax of this discussion, I raised my hand to add my two cents. When called upon I exclaimed, "Girls let good Guys like me do homework, and they let the thugs beat it up!" Everyone paused for a moment and then every women in the room go offended while most of the Guys, including the professor, began to clap, high five, and pound (look it up you square) each other. I ended that statement by saying, "in all seriousness though, simply put, Nyce Guys Finish Last.

Now, perhaps I was wrong for how I put my statement. But once again, based on my vast experiences with both male and females interactions, I can pretty much back it up. Now that doesn't mean all women are like that, just the ones that seem to have the most mouth about the state of black men in this country. Ladies, there is a Nyce Guy, sitting across from you at work, next to you on the bus, and/or walking down the aisle in front of you looking for a seat at church, but they are simply overlooked. Why is that the case? Well there maybe a number of reasons, perhaps he isn't so thirsty (slang) to have a girl, so he isn't chasing every tail that comes his way. Maybe, the brother just got out of a bad relationship, and decided that he is going to work on getting his life back on track. Or, he just might be working on his goals and aspirations and has decided that instead of looking for someone, he is going to wait on one to come his way. Either way, there are Nyce Guys all over the place. It's so funny how women constantly complain about men, but if you line up all the Guys they have dated, interacted with, slept with, married, divorced, or kicked it with, you will see a lot of similarities. As I heard recently, "If the people around you won't change, then change the people around you." Ladies perhaps you are attracting the wrong Guys because you are using the wrong bait.

This my people is not intended to offend. It's just words of advice for all of you. Nyce Guys stay encouraged, don't give up. If you look at it, maybe to others you Finish Last, but if it takes you a lifetime to not have to settle and find Mrs. Right, then you may have won the race no matter what position you Finished in. Ladies, it's 2011; if you are having the same experiences with guys, switch it up. Do something different, close your eyes and take a chance. Perhaps his most attractive features are his heart, honesty, loyalty, faithfulness, and wiliness to love and build a future with your undeserving a$$. We all could use someone like that. Too all my Nyce Guys, we gonna keep it pushing. If Last is where we end up, then obviously Last is the new First.

~Nice Guy (the prototype)

You Can't Take Your Family No Where.

Sir You Are Suppose To Just Dunk The Ball, Not Yourself Too. LOL!!!

New Music: Kanye West - H.A.M ft. Jay-Z

New Music: Wiz Khalifa - On My Level Ft. Too Short

Let It Go - Kirk Franklin - Shout

Let It Out

Angry people tend to make me depressed. I mean angry people really make me sad. Partly because I tend to believe that mad people just need a huge hug or just a moment to Let It Out. So many people hold so much on the inside. They never take a moment to vent, scream, or just to Let It Out. Thus, they walk around mad at the world ready to punish any and everyone in a 20 mile radius for the things they have been through or are going through. These individuals have yet to find a way to Let It Out.

A lot of you need to take a moment to Let It Out. You have endured hurt, disappointment, suffering, pain, and have been Let down more than you care to share, but now is the time to Let It Out. People, tomorrow absolutely begins today. We can't fix yesterday, but our future truly depends on what we do at this very moment. If you have been holding on to things that have negatively affected you in this life, now is the time to Let It Out and Let It Go.

Be Encouraged- John P Kee

Be Encouraged by William Becton & Friends

Be Encouraged

Come on people. I know things in this life may not be going as you expected or you don't have everything you want, but you must continue to Be Encouraged. Life is too short for you all to be sad all the time or trying to find the answer to your problems at the bottom of a liquor bottle. I tend to believe that no matter what you are going through in this life, things will most certainly work themselves out in the end. Be Encouraged.

One of my favorite gospel songs goes something like this; give me a moment...(clearing my throat and running through a few vocal scales) begins singing, "Be Encouraged, No Matter What's Going On, HE'LL Make It Alright, You Gotta Stay Strong..." Man I love that song!!! It goes on to say that you must be steadfast and un-moveable, Always.... That is what I really believe. You have to stay Encouraged and stand on this thing called Faith. It is so funny how many people sit in churches, synagogs, and other places of worship, but loose their Faith and/or religion as soon as they step outside. That lack real Faith. Thus they tend to Discourage those of us who have unwavering Faith. You sir/ma'am, Be Encouraged, it's going to be alright, I promise.

I write to promote Encouragement, share Encouragement, and express Encouragement. Be Encouraged folks!!! In case no one tells you that you are smart, beautiful, or you look like you dropped a few pounds, I just did. Be Encouraged. There is no mountain you can't climb or problem you can't solve. If so, Be Encouraged and confident enough to ask for help. If you don't ask, we can't assist. Be Encouraged, today, tonight, tomorrow and whenever things arise that you may think you can't overcome---You can.

If this aint Snoop Dogg reicarnated.... Wiz you my ni*ga tho!!!

This Album will hit like a tsunami. Its gonna be good for the game tho...

Sir, You Need A Companion....

Ultimate Fail; SMDH!

This Is Sad. Please Pray For These Families.

The 2011 State of the Union Address

For Those of You Who Missed it

Or Were Watching The Game...SMDH!!!

It's Already In You

Lets be clear, I ain't no preacher, nor would I even disrespect any wo/man of the cloth by acting like I am. But I am a student first and then a teacher. I believe all of us are teachers in some shape, form, or fashion. We go through many trials and tribulations in this life. It's not necessarily what we go through that we must share, but it's the lessons we have learned from going through it, that we must pass on to others. I have come to realize that many of us don't know that the praise, accolades, and acceptance we are seeking isn't going to come as a result of what we tell people we are doing or have done, but as a direct result of the actual work we are doing. Everything you need to reach your true Destiny Is Already In You.

I truly believe that everyone in the world has something they can contribute to society. I know that some people are more talented, athletic, attractive, and privileged than others, but that doesn't mean those of us who do not have those same characteristics are just chopped liver. Whatever it is that you need to be who you want to be or who you think you are, It's Already In You. Stop looking at other people or waiting for them to make you feel like you are somebody. Look in your own mirror and tell yourself you are somebody. There is no one on this earth that can make you or break you unless you allow them to.

While it may be true that you have to work ten times harder at tasks that may seem mundane or easy to others, you have to believe that you can do it, because It's Already In You. Don't look at your husband/wife/boss/children/friends/or family to complete you, make you significant or matter. You have everything you need Already on the inside. It's Already In You. You just have to find a way to let/get it out.

Ahh..To Be Famous

It's A Great Time To Be A Steelers Fan, Right C-Warr?!

Who Was Driving, Her Dog?!

Black And Yellow (Rock Version) - Tyler Ward and Crew

He's Back!!! LMBO!!!!

On The Fence

Ok. I have to say this. I am so disturbed by people who live their life, On The Fence. Let me elaborate. I am referring to those people who refuse to make a decision even if their life depended on it. They sway back and forth constantly and never pick a side. For example, if you ask them how they fell about something? You may get a dozen answers, but none of them truly provide you with the answer to the question you original answer.

People who live life On The Fence aren't really living. Actually, if you are On The Fence, you aren't moving forward at all. At some point you have to get Off The Fence and start moving in one direction or another. I mean, you don't have to move forward, perhaps you may need to take a few steps in reverse to take one giant leap ahead. But, either way, you need to get Off The Fence.

I know you may think it's safe to stay On The Fence, especially to avoid confrontation, disappointment, hurt, and/or pain. But all those things will ultimately be waiting for you whenever you decide to climb down Off The Fence. Thus, you might want to maximize your time, use it wisely, and go ahead and hop Off That Fence today. For goodness sakes, right or wrong, good or bad, just make a decision, have an opinion.

This Dude!!! SMDH

50 Is Bonkers For Real!

Should've Been Wiping The Steelers Away

The State Of The Union

So, how many of you all watched The State Of The Union tonight? Don't worry, I'll wait. It is my opinion that people of color did just enough to help get the first Black President in office, but it has been other people who have helped him stay there. I am not going to spare any emotions and just say it. We all, people of color that is, are failing OUR PRESIDENT. He needs as much support now as he did when we worked to get him into office. It makes no sense that every other race is doing everything they can to build up or tear down OUR PRESIDENT and his administration. What are we doing? Not a da*n thing, but watching the game on b.e.t. NINJAS!!!

We all ought to be ashamed of ourselves. We spend way too much time being selfish and not enough time being selfless. I am only one, but I believe that it only takes one to make a mark on the world. OUR PRESIDENT is trying his best to do what he can with what he has been given. Is he perfect or mistake free? No! But who are we to judge? We sit on our couch and be lazy on weekends, some of you daily, while he has to worry about every single American, foreign and domestic. I don't agree with everything he is doing, but I do know he is doing a trillion times better than his predecessor.

People, we need to get our priorities together. OUR COUNTRY NEED US AND SO DOES OUR PRESIDENT. Tonight's speech was about not The State Of President Obama's Union, but Our Union as well. Stand up and be counted for. The State Of The Union starts with each and every one of us. Ideas are just ideas if you don't do anything with them. Lets get active. The future is now!!!

They Look Like They Are Having The Time Of Their Lives

Mama There Goes That Man!

New Music: I Sell More Crack Then You- MG

When The People Ask, I Deliver..LOL!

Stay In Your Lane - Wiz Khalifa

Your Lane II

This is another public service announcement

brought to you by your neighborhood Look-Out Man.

I write to tell all of you that from today forward you all need to learn Your Lane and how to stay in Your Lane. It is very necessary for you to identify where Your Lane is, thus you can properly stay in it. What's most difficult is if you don't know where Your Lane is, because then you find yourself in other people's Lanes. Perhaps, you should request additional information from the one you love, like or work for to be clear that you are operating, driving, and moving in Your Lane.

People who don't know how to stay in their Lane cause all kinds of traffic jams in life. Because they are mentally swerving all over the place, in and out of everyone's business or personal affairs, they are hazardous and have the potential to ultimately cause major accidents. I tell you, if you are that person, you need to find Your Lane like yesterday. There is nothing wrong with moving to someone else's Lane if they ask you to, but once you fulfill what every needs/duties required, quickly move back into Your own Lane. We don't want you trying to make a Lane that doesn't belong to you, Yours. I am tired of all the nagging, complaining, arguing, fussing, cursing, and fighting because people don't know how to stay in their assigned Lane. There can only be One Chief. All of us have to know when being an Indian is our Lane.

I know this whole Your Lane concept may pose a challenge to some of you, but trust, it will make all our lives better if you stay out of our Lane and maneuver safely along in Your very own Lane. Its all Yours, and you don't have to share, promise.

The Chances Of This Happening Today Are Slim

You Can't Be Serious

SiR: Stop, Drop and Roll. Oh, That's For Fires.

Why Do We Always Look Around First?! LOL!

Support Those Who Support You

Happy Sunday Folks! Yep, we are on the cusp of another week, so lets take today to chillax and mentally get prepared for what tomorrow, and our future as a whole has in store for us. I am writing today about something that truly bothers me. I really haven't said much about it, but today I shall let it out. As a collective, we all need to generally be more Supportive. But, some people need to learn to Support Those Who Support You. Especially, if that person(s) is doing something positive with their life.

The Support I am referencing does NOT have to be financial. Most people don't have money, well until those rapid refund taxes get here, but you can Support people in a number of ways: socially, emotionally, and physically and it wouldn't cost a thing. The best Support is just being there for them when/if they should need you. Especially your loved ones and children. I have made a decision that I am going to basically adjust my interactions/cut-off from henceforth, those persons who don't Support me and any of my efforts to reach what I believe to be my DESTINY in this life. Far too many times I believe I have to ask people about things pertaining to me, that I believe they should do automatically, because we are suppose to be close. However, I have come to realize that people, not even the ones who say they love you, really Support You. It shocking to me, how many people I interact with, who go through minor/ major crises and only at that point they think to reach out to me. But, when I say, "you checked out WoodWorkz lately," they are like, "nah, not recently" or some just say they have been once or twice and others are bold enough to say they haven't been at all. It may not matter to them, but it matters to me a lot. It's like having Usher as a brother and never listing to his music or going to his concerts. But, I guess people will Support You when you got money---makes sense?! Nope! It still perplexes my how people can say they love you or they are suppose to be your people, but they don't Support Those Who Support them.

Well today people, Da' Intellektual has decided to cut the umbilical cord to those persons. I am pulling out the cell phone and deleting contacts as I type--Family & So Called Friends alike. No one is safe! Not even my internet folks. Hopefully, that is none of you. Well most likely its not, because if you are reading this, that means you kinda Support, well at least today. I am not encouraging any of you to follow in my footsteps, but I will say in 20eleven some of us need to downsize like major corporations. We have too many people in our lives or our circles that aren't doing anything to Support Us, Help Us Grow, or Make Us Better People in general. They hang around ONLY because of what we do for them or what we are capable of doing for them. Today, I write specifically to thank those persons, Ninjas, who don't Support me and I leave you with this. "Remember now, for some strange or just unknown reason you didn't feel the need or you don't have time to Support Those Who Support You. When we make it to the top, act like you still don't feel the need or have time, because we most certainly will!!!"

Have A Great Day,

It's A Wrap Ninjas--like Xmas presents!!! (copy-written; so don't us like you made it up)

SMH: There Ain't A Belt Big Enough

You Can't Be Serious

February 3rd; I Can't Wait! Its Been 4yrs & Counting.

That's My Joint: Airplanes- B.O.B Ft. Hayley Williams & Eminem

No Air- Jordin Sparks ft. Chris Brown

Air

Breezy and Jordin Sparks asked, "How am I suppose to breath with no Air?" My answer, I have no idea, its impossible. Air is just Air, unless you don't have it or don't have enough of it. I think most of us don't properly value Air, because its one of those things that naturally we don't have to think about. That is until we run out of it. Air makes life what it is. There are a number of uses for Air. Air can be utilized in the tires you have on your car; Air is what we use to cool us off on those hot summer days; and hot Air is what some people are full of. Those hot Air persons, in other words, are full of lies or made up stories. But hey, they value their Air.

I personally appreciate Air. The Air up there makes traveling most convenient to those of us that don't like to drive under any circumstances. I love the fact that we can use Air for so many things. Most importantly we use Air for breathing purposes. Air like love keeps us together, but can separate us as well. I am very thankful for Air and the Air I breathe. Let us not forget that Air gave us the one and only Air Jordan. Gotta love Air for that.

Inspiration, Beauty, Wisdom

This Made My Day; I Hope Yours Too!

Alcohol Is One Hell-A-Vuh Drug!

She Is Now Suing The Mall; SMH!

Good People

Greetings All:

Regardless of all the chaos, senseless murdering and violence going on in this country, your neighborhood and in the world at large, I still believe there are some Good People. I think Good People exist everywhere, but sometimes they are over-shadowed by those who give into their evil ways. I mean to be honest, all of us have our days when we want to strangle someone, smack the taste out of someone's mouth, curse someone out, and/or just run your car directly into someone else's because they pulled out in front of you and slowed down or worse they weren't paying attention and almost made you wreck. But, regardless of all that, we have to maintain the Goodness inside of us all and don't let money, organizations, and other people change you. If you are Good People, then stay Good People.

I am always shocked when I hear the saying, "A Good Man Is Hard To Find." Actually, they aren't hard to find, you shouldn't be looking. There are Good Men, Women, and People in general everywhere. If you aren't attracting the type you prefer, then perhaps you may want to do something a little different. Perhaps it's not that you can't find them, maybe they aren't seeking you out because you don't look approachable or interested in anyone other than yourself. I truly appreciate Good People. They make life more pleasant and the world a better place. If you are a Good Person, I salute you today. I shall call today, National Good People Day. I am blessed to have a few Good People in my life. Thanks Yall!!! You could've been anything else, but you chose to be Good People to me and if no one else tells you, I appreciate you so much.

Stereotypes Get Us No Where; Interesting

Sadly, This Is What Rap Is Like Today

Cheating Has Many Perks

Cheating

So I don't often talk about the negative things people do, because I feel this blog is for you, the residents of WoodWorkz and should be kind of positive when applicable. But today, there is something I absolutely have to address---Cheating. Don't look surprised, all you know what Cheating is. Some of you Cheat on test, Cheat on your taxes, Cheat when playing games, and worse, Cheat on your significant others. I am in no way perfect nor do I claim to be, but I just don't understand Cheating. Especially adults who do it. I mean, I can almost understand the idea of wanting to get something for nothing, but the whole notion, of giving yourself an unfair advantage by Cheating just baffles me.

Don't get it twisted, I love winning. I mean, I love winning just as much as I love being right. But, the best victory is the one you get fair and square. If Cheating was a part of your winning plan than you actually lost. And not just in the competition, but you lost at life. Cheating on someone, especially when you are married is the absolute worse. Now, I don't condone Cheating at the boy/girlfriend level, but at least you two aren't joined together in a union you accepted by GOD and in front of all your family members. Cheating when you are married, infidel, is just like an act of terrorism to me. Get it together. Cheating isn't okay anywhere or in anyway. I am just saying, Winners Never Cheat and Cheaters Never Win--Without Cheating of course.

I Am So Upset I Didn't Get Invited; SMDH!

I Really Think He Didn't See Her...

Expand Your Horizons: The Truth- Jason Aldean

That's My Joint: The Truth- India Arie

The Truth

The GOOD BOOK states, "The Truth Will Set You Free." Seeing as that is the case, I am always baffled by the fact that more people don't tell The Truth. It is one thing to be faced with eminent danger, thus a lie is the only way to save a life, but some people just don't tell The Truth no matter what. I mean, a lie is a lie, no matter how big or small. News flash, it is not a crime to tell The Truth. I am always bothered by the fact that so many people avoid telling The Truth. I mean at this point in my life, I refuse to lie. As I always say, "If there is something you really don't want to know the answer to, don't ask me." The kid is going to tell you The Truth.

I know The Truth hurts sometimes, but knowing The Truth can really free you from the bondage of lies. I mean lies are like strings in a spider web. Once you tell one of them, you have to continue to lie, thus you never get back to The Truth. Set yourself free today, and learn to/practice telling The Truth. I know it may be extremely difficult for some of you, but you have to try. I am so perplexed as to why some people lie about everything. I mean, I know you may not always have the answers to some things, or you have a vivid imagination, but you have to work to find your way back to The Truth. There are two types of people, besides rappers, that I believe are a waste of life: Thieves & those who avoid telling The GOD HONEST TRUTH.

Doesn't That Make Him A Terrorist?!

Please Don't Try This At Home Or At All For That Matter!!!

That's Still My Joint: He Still Got It!

Now That Brother Was Happy!

Who Are You?

Today, in line with most of my writings, I deem it necessary to ask You all to take a moment to self-reflect. Actually, this post is very personal to me. I want to know, Who Are You? I know that may seem like a very loaded question, but that is exactly what it is, loaded. Loaded with a need to ask oneself the question that most of us struggle with, Who Am I? It's really okay if You don't know at this very moment, but at some point, You have to find out Who You Are.

I don't know if You think it is necessary to define Who You Are, but if You don't define yourself, someone else most definitely will. This life is made of a number of small occurrences that can ultimately lead to major outcomes. Before You engage yourself in any activity, relationship, or situation, You should go in knowing Who You Are, so those things don't change You. If your a lover, be a lover. If your evil, be evil. If your a waste of space or a drama king/queen, stay far away from me. Ask yourself, Who Am I? as a son/daughter, friend, lover, spouse, boss/employee, etc. If You aren't sure Who You Are, today is the perfect time to attempt to find the solution to that problem.

I ask with the utmost respect, Who Are You? I mean, we would really like to know, so we can decide if we really need You in our life. I mean some people are in the wrong place in your life, because You thought they were one thing, but they are really someone else. Who Are You? Show your real self. Stop the faking and fronting. We all deserve to know Who You Really Are--that is if You even know yourself.

This Will Change You--I Promise

The Speech That Changed The World As We Know It

Dr. King's Letter From A Birmingham Jail

16 April 1963

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.

Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.

You deplore the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham. But your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to express a similar concern for the conditions that brought about the demonstrations. I am sure that none of you would want to rest content with the superficial kind of social analysis that deals merely with effects and does not grapple with underlying causes. It is unfortunate that demonstrations are taking place in Birmingham, but it is even more unfortunate that the city's white power structure left the Negro community with no alternative.

In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self purification; and direct action. We have gone through all these steps in Birmingham. There can be no gainsaying the fact that racial injustice engulfs this community. Birmingham is probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States. Its ugly record of brutality is widely known. Negroes have experienced grossly unjust treatment in the courts. There have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than in any other city in the nation. These are the hard, brutal facts of the case. On the basis of these conditions, Negro leaders sought to negotiate with the city fathers. But the latter consistently refused to engage in good faith negotiation.

Then, last September, came the opportunity to talk with leaders of Birmingham's economic community. In the course of the negotiations, certain promises were made by the merchants--for example, to remove the stores' humiliating racial signs. On the basis of these promises, the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth and the leaders of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights agreed to a moratorium on all demonstrations. As the weeks and months went by, we realized that we were the victims of a broken promise. A few signs, briefly removed, returned; the others remained. As in so many past experiences, our hopes had been blasted, and the shadow of deep disappointment settled upon us. We had no alternative except to prepare for direct action, whereby we would present our very bodies as a means of laying our case before the conscience of the local and the national community. Mindful of the difficulties involved, we decided to undertake a process of self purification. We began a series of workshops on nonviolence, and we repeatedly asked ourselves: "Are you able to accept blows without retaliating?" "Are you able to endure the ordeal of jail?" We decided to schedule our direct action program for the Easter season, realizing that except for Christmas, this is the main shopping period of the year. Knowing that a strong economic-withdrawal program would be the by product of direct action, we felt that this would be the best time to bring pressure to bear on the merchants for the needed change.

Then it occurred to us that Birmingham's mayoral election was coming up in March, and we speedily decided to postpone action until after election day. When we discovered that the Commissioner of Public Safety, Eugene "Bull" Connor, had piled up enough votes to be in the run off, we decided again to postpone action until the day after the run off so that the demonstrations could not be used to cloud the issues. Like many others, we waited to see Mr. Connor defeated, and to this end we endured postponement after postponement. Having aided in this community need, we felt that our direct action program could be delayed no longer.

You may well ask: "Why direct action? Why sit ins, marches and so forth? Isn't negotiation a better path?" You are quite right in calling for negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent resister may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word "tension." I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, so must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood. The purpose of our direct action program is to create a situation so crisis packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation. I therefore concur with you in your call for negotiation. Too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in a tragic effort to live in monologue rather than dialogue.

One of the basic points in your statement is that the action that I and my associates have taken in Birmingham is untimely. Some have asked: "Why didn't you give the new city administration time to act?" The only answer that I can give to this query is that the new Birmingham administration must be prodded about as much as the outgoing one, before it will act. We are sadly mistaken if we feel that the election of Albert Boutwell as mayor will bring the millennium to Birmingham. While Mr. Boutwell is a much more gentle person than Mr. Connor, they are both segregationists, dedicated to maintenance of the status quo. I have hope that Mr. Boutwell will be reasonable enough to see the futility of massive resistance to desegregation. But he will not see this without pressure from devotees of civil rights. My friends, I must say to you that we have not made a single gain in civil rights without determined legal and nonviolent pressure. Lamentably, it is an historical fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily. Individuals may see the moral light and voluntarily give up their unjust posture; but, as Reinhold Niebuhr has reminded us, groups tend to be more immoral than individuals.

We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was "well timed" in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never." We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that "justice too long delayed is justice denied."

We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God given rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward gaining political independence, but we still creep at horse and buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter. Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say, "Wait." But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six year old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people; when you have to concoct an answer for a five year old son who is asking: "Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?"; when you take a cross county drive and find it necessary to sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will accept you; when you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading "white" and "colored"; when your first name becomes "nigger," your middle name becomes "boy" (however old you are) and your last name becomes "John," and your wife and mother are never given the respected title "Mrs."; when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what to expect next, and are plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of "nobodiness"--then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair. I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience. You express a great deal of anxiety over our willingness to break laws. This is certainly a legitimate concern. Since we so diligently urge people to obey the Supreme Court's decision of 1954 outlawing segregation in the public schools, at first glance it may seem rather paradoxical for us consciously to break laws. One may well ask: "How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?" The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all."

Now, what is the difference between the two? How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority. Segregation, to use the terminology of the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber, substitutes an "I it" relationship for an "I thou" relationship and ends up relegating persons to the status of things. Hence segregation is not only politically, economically and sociologically unsound, it is morally wrong and sinful. Paul Tillich has said that sin is separation. Is not segregation an existential expression of man's tragic separation, his awful estrangement, his terrible sinfulness? Thus it is that I can urge men to obey the 1954 decision of the Supreme Court, for it is morally right; and I can urge them to disobey segregation ordinances, for they are morally wrong.

Let us consider a more concrete example of just and unjust laws. An unjust law is a code that a numerical or power majority group compels a minority group to obey but does not make binding on itself. This is difference made legal. By the same token, a just law is a code that a majority compels a minority to follow and that it is willing to follow itself. This is sameness made legal. Let me give another explanation. A law is unjust if it is inflicted on a minority that, as a result of being denied the right to vote, had no part in enacting or devising the law. Who can say that the legislature of Alabama which set up that state's segregation laws was democratically elected? Throughout Alabama all sorts of devious methods are used to prevent Negroes from becoming registered voters, and there are some counties in which, even though Negroes constitute a majority of the population, not a single Negro is registered. Can any law enacted under such circumstances be considered democratically structured?

Sometimes a law is just on its face and unjust in its application. For instance, I have been arrested on a charge of parading without a permit. Now, there is nothing wrong in having an ordinance which requires a permit for a parade. But such an ordinance becomes unjust when it is used to maintain segregation and to deny citizens the First-Amendment privilege of peaceful assembly and protest.

I hope you are able to see the distinction I am trying to point out. In no sense do I advocate evading or defying the law, as would the rabid segregationist. That would lead to anarchy. One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty. I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.

Of course, there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience. It was evidenced sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar, on the ground that a higher moral law was at stake. It was practiced superbly by the early Christians, who were willing to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks rather than submit to certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire. To a degree, academic freedom is a reality today because Socrates practiced civil disobedience. In our own nation, the Boston Tea Party represented a massive act of civil disobedience.

We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was "illegal." It was "illegal" to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany. Even so, I am sure that, had I lived in Germany at the time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers. If today I lived in a Communist country where certain principles dear to the Christian faith are suppressed, I would openly advocate disobeying that country's antireligious laws.

I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and that when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress. I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that the present tension in the South is a necessary phase of the transition from an obnoxious negative peace, in which the Negro passively accepted his unjust plight, to a substantive and positive peace, in which all men will respect the dignity and worth of human personality. Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with. Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured.

In your statement you assert that our actions, even though peaceful, must be condemned because they precipitate violence. But is this a logical assertion? Isn't this like condemning a robbed man because his possession of money precipitated the evil act of robbery? Isn't this like condemning Socrates because his unswerving commitment to truth and his philosophical inquiries precipitated the act by the misguided populace in which they made him drink hemlock? Isn't this like condemning Jesus because his unique God consciousness and never ceasing devotion to God's will precipitated the evil act of crucifixion? We must come to see that, as the federal courts have consistently affirmed, it is wrong to urge an individual to cease his efforts to gain his basic constitutional rights because the quest may precipitate violence. Society must protect the robbed and punish the robber. I had also hoped that the white moderate would reject the myth concerning time in relation to the struggle for freedom. I have just received a letter from a white brother in Texas. He writes: "All Christians know that the colored people will receive equal rights eventually, but it is possible that you are in too great a religious hurry. It has taken Christianity almost two thousand years to accomplish what it has. The teachings of Christ take time to come to earth." Such an attitude stems from a tragic misconception of time, from the strangely irrational notion that there is something in the very flow of time that will inevitably cure all ills. Actually, time itself is neutral; it can be used either destructively or constructively. More and more I feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than have the people of good will. We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people. Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co workers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation. We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right. Now is the time to make real the promise of democracy and transform our pending national elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. Now is the time to lift our national policy from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of human dignity.

You speak of our activity in Birmingham as extreme. At first I was rather disappointed that fellow clergymen would see my nonviolent efforts as those of an extremist. I began thinking about the fact that I stand in the middle of two opposing forces in the Negro community. One is a force of complacency, made up in part of Negroes who, as a result of long years of oppression, are so drained of self respect and a sense of "somebodiness" that they have adjusted to segregation; and in part of a few middle-class Negroes who, because of a degree of academic and economic security and because in some ways they profit by segregation, have become insensitive to the problems of the masses. The other force is one of bitterness and hatred, and it comes perilously close to advocating violence. It is expressed in the various black nationalist groups that are springing up across the nation, the largest and best known being Elijah Muhammad's Muslim movement. Nourished by the Negro's frustration over the continued existence of racial discrimination, this movement is made up of people who have lost faith in America, who have absolutely repudiated Christianity, and who have concluded that the white man is an incorrigible "devil."

I have tried to stand between these two forces, saying that we need emulate neither the "do nothingism" of the complacent nor the hatred and despair of the black nationalist. For there is the more excellent way of love and nonviolent protest. I am grateful to God that, through the influence of the Negro church, the way of nonviolence became an integral part of our struggle. If this philosophy had not emerged, by now many streets of the South would, I am convinced, be flowing with blood. And I am further convinced that if our white brothers dismiss as "rabble rousers" and "outside agitators" those of us who employ nonviolent direct action, and if they refuse to support our nonviolent efforts, millions of Negroes will, out of frustration and despair, seek solace and security in black nationalist ideologies--a development that would inevitably lead to a frightening racial nightmare.

Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro. Something within has reminded him of his birthright of freedom, and something without has reminded him that it can be gained. Consciously or unconsciously, he has been caught up by the Zeitgeist, and with his black brothers of Africa and his brown and yellow brothers of Asia, South America and the Caribbean, the United States Negro is moving with a sense of great urgency toward the promised land of racial justice. If one recognizes this vital urge that has engulfed the Negro community, one should readily understand why public demonstrations are taking place. The Negro has many pent up resentments and latent frustrations, and he must release them. So let him march; let him make prayer pilgrimages to the city hall; let him go on freedom rides -and try to understand why he must do so. If his repressed emotions are not released in nonviolent ways, they will seek expression through violence; this is not a threat but a fact of history. So I have not said to my people: "Get rid of your discontent." Rather, I have tried to say that this normal and healthy discontent can be channeled into the creative outlet of nonviolent direct action. And now this approach is being termed extremist. But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." Was not Amos an extremist for justice: "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream." Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Was not Martin Luther an extremist: "Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God." And John Bunyan: "I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience." And Abraham Lincoln: "This nation cannot survive half slave and half free." And Thomas Jefferson: "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal . . ." So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice? In that dramatic scene on Calvary's hill three men were crucified. We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crime--the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment. Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.

I had hoped that the white moderate would see this need. Perhaps I was too optimistic; perhaps I expected too much. I suppose I should have realized that few members of the oppressor race can understand the deep groans and passionate yearnings of the oppressed race, and still fewer have the vision to see that injustice must be rooted out by strong, persistent and determined action. I am thankful, however, that some of our white brothers in the South have grasped the meaning of this social revolution and committed themselves to it. They are still all too few in quantity, but they are big in quality. Some -such as Ralph McGill, Lillian Smith, Harry Golden, James McBride Dabbs, Ann Braden and Sarah Patton Boyle--have written about our struggle in eloquent and prophetic terms. Others have marched with us down nameless streets of the South. They have languished in filthy, roach infested jails, suffering the abuse and brutality of policemen who view them as "dirty nigger-lovers." Unlike so many of their moderate brothers and sisters, they have recognized the urgency of the moment and sensed the need for powerful "action" antidotes to combat the disease of segregation. Let me take note of my other major disappointment. I have been so greatly disappointed with the white church and its leadership. Of course, there are some notable exceptions. I am not unmindful of the fact that each of you has taken some significant stands on this issue. I commend you, Reverend Stallings, for your Christian stand on this past Sunday, in welcoming Negroes to your worship service on a nonsegregated basis. I commend the Catholic leaders of this state for integrating Spring Hill College several years ago.

But despite these notable exceptions, I must honestly reiterate that I have been disappointed with the church. I do not say this as one of those negative critics who can always find something wrong with the church. I say this as a minister of the gospel, who loves the church; who was nurtured in its bosom; who has been sustained by its spiritual blessings and who will remain true to it as long as the cord of life shall lengthen.

When I was suddenly catapulted into the leadership of the bus protest in Montgomery, Alabama, a few years ago, I felt we would be supported by the white church. I felt that the white ministers, priests and rabbis of the South would be among our strongest allies. Instead, some have been outright opponents, refusing to understand the freedom movement and misrepresenting its leaders; all too many others have been more cautious than courageous and have remained silent behind the anesthetizing security of stained glass windows.

In spite of my shattered dreams, I came to Birmingham with the hope that the white religious leadership of this community would see the justice of our cause and, with deep moral concern, would serve as the channel through which our just grievances could reach the power structure. I had hoped that each of you would understand. But again I have been disappointed.

I have heard numerous southern religious leaders admonish their worshipers to comply with a desegregation decision because it is the law, but I have longed to hear white ministers declare: "Follow this decree because integration is morally right and because the Negro is your brother." In the midst of blatant injustices inflicted upon the Negro, I have watched white churchmen stand on the sideline and mouth pious irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities. In the midst of a mighty struggle to rid our nation of racial and economic injustice, I have heard many ministers say: "Those are social issues, with which the gospel has no real concern." And I have watched many churches commit themselves to a completely other worldly religion which makes a strange, un-Biblical distinction between body and soul, between the sacred and the secular.

I have traveled the length and breadth of Alabama, Mississippi and all the other southern states. On sweltering summer days and crisp autumn mornings I have looked at the South's beautiful churches with their lofty spires pointing heavenward. I have beheld the impressive outlines of her massive religious education buildings. Over and over I have found myself asking: "What kind of people worship here? Who is their God? Where were their voices when the lips of Governor Barnett dripped with words of interposition and nullification? Where were they when Governor Wallace gave a clarion call for defiance and hatred? Where were their voices of support when bruised and weary Negro men and women decided to rise from the dark dungeons of complacency to the bright hills of creative protest?"

Yes, these questions are still in my mind. In deep disappointment I have wept over the laxity of the church. But be assured that my tears have been tears of love. There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love. Yes, I love the church. How could I do otherwise? I am in the rather unique position of being the son, the grandson and the great grandson of preachers. Yes, I see the church as the body of Christ. But, oh! How we have blemished and scarred that body through social neglect and through fear of being nonconformists.

There was a time when the church was very powerful--in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being "disturbers of the peace" and "outside agitators."' But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were "a colony of heaven," called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be "astronomically intimidated." By their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contests. Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent--and often even vocal--sanction of things as they are.

But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust.

Perhaps I have once again been too optimistic. Is organized religion too inextricably bound to the status quo to save our nation and the world? Perhaps I must turn my faith to the inner spiritual church, the church within the church, as the true ekklesia and the hope of the world. But again I am thankful to God that some noble souls from the ranks of organized religion have broken loose from the paralyzing chains of conformity and joined us as active partners in the struggle for freedom. They have left their secure congregations and walked the streets of Albany, Georgia, with us. They have gone down the highways of the South on tortuous rides for freedom. Yes, they have gone to jail with us. Some have been dismissed from their churches, have lost the support of their bishops and fellow ministers. But they have acted in the faith that right defeated is stronger than evil triumphant. Their witness has been the spiritual salt that has preserved the true meaning of the gospel in these troubled times. They have carved a tunnel of hope through the dark mountain of disappointment. I hope the church as a whole will meet the challenge of this decisive hour. But even if the church does not come to the aid of justice, I have no despair about the future. I have no fear about the outcome of our struggle in Birmingham, even if our motives are at present misunderstood. We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation, because the goal of America is freedom. Abused and scorned though we may be, our destiny is tied up with America's destiny. Before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth, we were here. Before the pen of Jefferson etched the majestic words of the Declaration of Independence across the pages of history, we were here. For more than two centuries our forebears labored in this country without wages; they made cotton king; they built the homes of their masters while suffering gross injustice and shameful humiliation -and yet out of a bottomless vitality they continued to thrive and develop. If the inexpressible cruelties of slavery could not stop us, the opposition we now face will surely fail. We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of God are embodied in our echoing demands. Before closing I feel impelled to mention one other point in your statement that has troubled me profoundly. You warmly commended the Birmingham police force for keeping "order" and "preventing violence." I doubt that you would have so warmly commended the police force if you had seen its dogs sinking their teeth into unarmed, nonviolent Negroes. I doubt that you would so quickly commend the policemen if you were to observe their ugly and inhumane treatment of Negroes here in the city jail; if you were to watch them push and curse old Negro women and young Negro girls; if you were to see them slap and kick old Negro men and young boys; if you were to observe them, as they did on two occasions, refuse to give us food because we wanted to sing our grace together. I cannot join you in your praise of the Birmingham police department.

It is true that the police have exercised a degree of discipline in handling the demonstrators. In this sense they have conducted themselves rather "nonviolently" in public. But for what purpose? To preserve the evil system of segregation. Over the past few years I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek. I have tried to make clear that it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends. But now I must affirm that it is just as wrong, or perhaps even more so, to use moral means to preserve immoral ends. Perhaps Mr. Connor and his policemen have been rather nonviolent in public, as was Chief Pritchett in Albany, Georgia, but they have used the moral means of nonviolence to maintain the immoral end of racial injustice. As T. S. Eliot has said: "The last temptation is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason."

I wish you had commended the Negro sit inners and demonstrators of Birmingham for their sublime courage, their willingness to suffer and their amazing discipline in the midst of great provocation. One day the South will recognize its real heroes. They will be the James Merediths, with the noble sense of purpose that enables them to face jeering and hostile mobs, and with the agonizing loneliness that characterizes the life of the pioneer. They will be old, oppressed, battered Negro women, symbolized in a seventy two year old woman in Montgomery, Alabama, who rose up with a sense of dignity and with her people decided not to ride segregated buses, and who responded with ungrammatical profundity to one who inquired about her weariness: "My feets is tired, but my soul is at rest." They will be the young high school and college students, the young ministers of the gospel and a host of their elders, courageously and nonviolently sitting in at lunch counters and willingly going to jail for conscience' sake. One day the South will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters, they were in reality standing up for what is best in the American dream and for the most sacred values in our Judaeo Christian heritage, thereby bringing our nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the founding fathers in their formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

Never before have I written so long a letter. I'm afraid it is much too long to take your precious time. I can assure you that it would have been much shorter if I had been writing from a comfortable desk, but what else can one do when he is alone in a narrow jail cell, other than write long letters, think long thoughts and pray long prayers?

If I have said anything in this letter that overstates the truth and indicates an unreasonable impatience, I beg you to forgive me. If I have said anything that understates the truth and indicates my having a patience that allows me to settle for anything less than brotherhood, I beg God to forgive me.

I hope this letter finds you strong in the faith. I also hope that circumstances will soon make it possible for me to meet each of you, not as an integrationist or a civil-rights leader but as a fellow clergyman and a Christian brother. Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.

Yours for the cause of Peace and Brotherhood, Martin Luther King, Jr.

Published in:

King, Martin Luther Jr.

Reverend Dr. Martin Luther---The King

Dear Dr. King:

Today, as you know by now, we nationally and internationally celebrate your life, your work and your legacy. Well some of us that is, the remainder of us, just celebrate you by sleeping in or being lazy today, thanks the holiday, thus they are off from work. But, others really are truly inspired by what you chose to do for us, even when you didn't have to. I myself, have answered the call of leadership, but no one and I repeat no one does it quite like you.

I wanted to take a moment on this auspicious occasion to thank you personally for what you have done, not just for people of color, but for people of all races, creeds, and nationalities. I think each of us have a duty to continue your work and fight the good fight until injustice and racial inequality is removed from this self-serving society. Additionally, I feel the need to apologize to you, because some of my people don't appreciate the freedoms and rights they have based on what you and a number of other great leaders during your time fought for. Now that they have certain inalienable rights, they still do the opposite. I guess they don't know how hard it was for you all to get us the right to sit at the front of the bus, the right to go to integrated schools, and the right be more than just an underprivileged minority with no vote, voice, or opinion. It is my hopes that someday they will wake up and understand the true value of the freedoms/rights that what we as a people all take for granted.

Lastly, I want to note that without you and others leaders of your stature, there would be no Minority senators, governors, CEO's, and most notably a Black president. I hope that one day your Dream will reach the full realization phase, because although we all sit in the same room today, we still have yet to find equality as you deemed necessary.

Happy Belated Birthday and thanks for giving your time and life for those of us, who deserve it the least.

Best Regards,

A Future Leader of Today and Tomorrow

P.S. I TOO HAVE A DREAM