letter from birmingham jail by martin luther king jr

First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. “I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. Will we be extremists for hate or for love?” King wrote, “The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. The choice today is about the cost of being moderate and what will it take to make change. Studies show that in the face of racial microaggressions, white bystanders can have a very real impact and change the tone of an interaction if they choose to speak up. Learning, decoding hidden messages and taking a risk to raise one’s voice. It requires stepping outside one’s comfort zone. We explore research that indicates most people do not speak up in the face of demeaning biased and stereotypical comments. Most will agree that becoming an active bystander is the right thing to do. In our Workshops via Zoom and our eLearning courses, we talk about the role of the bystander. You can read the entire letter HEREīelow, I’m including a portion of his letter that has me thinking, especially in light of the work I’m engaged in to help organizations raise awareness and gain skills to disrupt behavior patterns of oppression and bias. For me, it’s an important reminder about what he called “the white moderate”. King today, I found his Letter From Birmingham Jail particularly meaningful and timely. For SunShower Learning, diversity, equity and inclusion is more than a business, it’s a commitment to taking action for racial and economic equality and social justice. King’s life and what he continues to stand for. Day, a national holiday since 1986, it feels even more important to reflect on Dr. On this January 18, 2021, as we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.

Letter from birmingham jail by martin luther king jr