| MLK letter from Birmingham jail The longest inspirational letter by Nancy Xiong |
| As I opened this long letter, I realized it was the longest letter I have ever read in my 24 years of life. This letter was different from others. This letter got my full attention as I sank into it. Its content was fairly comprehensive with a powerful message. I found myself cringing at times. I even found myself trying to hold back tears because this letter brought back many memories. Its powerful message foreshadows the future of the United States and the world. The author of this letter is Martin Luther King Jr. He wrote this letter while he was in jail in Birmington, Alabama, a place he chose to come to due to organizational ties with the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights and to fight injustice. He wrote this letter with much optimism and faith, despite all the disappointments he encountered. He wrote it not only in response to a published statement by eight clergymen (as noted on top of the letter) but to White moderates, White churches, and the rest of the world. He also wrote this letter to future activists and advocates for justice, such as myself. He informed others of his purpose and his passion for justice. Too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in a tragic effort to live in monologue rather than dialogue. 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. (King) These words demonstrated King's disappointment for being pushed to the side and having "waited for more than 340 years for constitutional and God-given rights." He described being "tongue-twisted" as he explains to his six-year-old daughter that she cannot go to the amusement park because it is closed to colored children. His disappointment was not only revealed through his words but the reactions of his children. I thought of my preschool students who recently came to the United States two years ago: their curiosity and attentiveness to learn. What would I say to them if they wanted to go to the amusement, but it was closed to people of color? What would I tell their parents, who were war victims, left their homeland, became refugees in Thailand, and had been through a lot to resettle? 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. (King) This particular paragraph brings me back to my own community as a Hmong-American. I feel that if not for the injustice committed against Blacks and their fight against it, as an Asian, I would have been in a much worse shape. This paragraph brings forth many questions. What if it was the Hmong people who came to the new world as slaves or as servants? My people came as refugees to the United States. Are the rights of refugees different from those of the slaves? Are there any rights for both of them at all? Would the Hmong people be treated differently? Would our issues be the same? When King ended the paragraph with "anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds," I strongly agree. Take for instance, the outcry this past summer regarding so-called "illegal immigrants" crossing over the border. The employers of U.S. illegal immigrants need them as much as these illegal immigrants need a place to work. Whether or not these targeted groups are illegal, the immigration policy is an issue worth a serious scrutiny. Furthermore, while this particular issue is mainly targeted at illegal immigrants from Mexico, it affects all illegal immigrants nationwide. In the Hmong community, there are "illegal immigrants" as well. 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. (King) This is another paragraph that I cannot summarize easily. His words are deep and all of it is important enough to be read over and over. He protested albeit non-violently and was killed for it. This illustrated that things may not play out the way we wanted to happen. Yet we have to be strong and still proceed. Martin Luther King Jr. did not give up easily. His passion held him up high and strong. This paragraph raised some issues that I will face when I go out to the real world and apply my SIT education. One of the things that I want to do is to educate women on their rights, as well as empower them. As much as I try to detach myself from this particular population, it has already become my great passion to commit myself to women and their issues. I want to be a voice for them even if I am different: in race, religion, sex orientation, birth, and language. I see that one of my obstacles to proceed in my passion are women who might not be open to new ideas and are happy with what they have already. Another obstacle is the misperception some people may have of one who is not from their community. Communities of diverse cultures is another concept to consider before I proceed. Most fearful of all is men. I come from a culture where men have the power and have the say in many decisions. Growing up as the first-born daughter of Hmong parents, I consider myself a victim of male dominance. This is a part of me that I am still exploring to forgive and forget. Hmong women have been impacted directly and indirectly. Thus, being an educator who gives feedback or new ideas will be a challenge. However, using King's letter as a motivational tool, it will keep me in focus and be optimistic. It will be one of the most difficult tests to give myself to see how well I handle it. The result of the test is important, but the process of handling the test is important as well. As I progressed into my classes this semester, I gradually learned how to cope with and have become sensitive to, all the readings, conversations, images, perceptions of authors, classmates, and people I have come into contact with on campus. There were times where I found myself in tears while reading the class materials. The last paragraph of Dr. King's letter talked of "shedding tears of love" over the laxity of the church. He said that there would not be any deep disappointment where there is not deep love. Going back to my days of shedding tears reading and discussing the cruelties of humanity, this paragraph helped me analyze myself. At that time, I was filled with anger and confusion as to why humans can be so cruel to other human beings. I think it is a stage that one goes through to become stronger in order to work with social justice issues. I shed tears because I was not only sensitive but passionate about them as well. In addition, I realize that to create change, you have to be able to let your guards down, weep if you must, and then bring yourself back up. Dr. King also wrote this letter to current and future activists, advocates, and educators like myself. He wrote it with so much passion and optimism. He wrote the letter not thinking that one day, a Hmong girl will read it and be inspired to be an activist, an advocate, or an educator of social justice. But indeed, it absolutely did just that. |
 |
 |