Leadership Language: MLK’s Letter from Birmingham Jail.

“Letter from Birmingham Jail” is an open letter written on April 16, 1963, by Martin Luther King Jr. While incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama for protesting against racial segregation, King responded to a letter from eight white Alabama clergymen, who criticized him and the protest movement for being “unwise and untimely.”

In his letter, King defended the use of nonviolent civil disobedience as a means to achieve civil rights and racial equality. He argued that the black community had been patient for too long and that the time for action was now. He also criticized the white moderate for their complacency in the face of racial injustice, stating “the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Council-er or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to “order” than to justice.”

King’s letter is considered a classic of American literature and a seminal work in the civil rights movement. Through his powerful and eloquent language, King conveyed the urgency of the civil rights struggle and the moral imperative of taking action to end racial injustice. He also spoke about the importance of leadership and personal responsibility, stating “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

The letter is considered a great example of persuasive and inspiring leadership language, as King used it to not just respond to criticism but also to inspire and mobilize people to take action against racial injustice.

Leadership Language: McCombs Management Professor James Fredrickson has been using Martin Luther King, Jr.s Letter from a Birmingham Jail in his MBA Art of Leadership class for many years.