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A review by calarco
Why We Can't Wait by Martin Luther King Jr.
5.0
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Reflecting on the U.S. civil rights achievements during 1963, the centennial year of the Emancipation Proclamation, Martin Luther King Jr. writes with elegance and urgency on the necessity of taking direct, nonviolent action in Why We Can’t Wait.
“The enemy the Negro faced became not the individual who had oppressed him but the evil system that permitted the individual to do so” (35).
Nonviolent protest is the famous method Martin Luther King Jr. employed in the fight for equality. In this volume he expressly details the bravery and sacrifice that such action entails, as well as why this Ghandian approach was most effective at achieving the goal of civil rights. Moreover, he stressed the importance of using this tactic in conjunction with legal action. With these forces combined, King lays bare how to impress the humanity of an oppressed people to their (participating and unwitting) oppressors. By attacking the system that oppressed, rather than individual agents, King made moves with lasting impact.
“When he seeks opportunity, he is told, in effect, to lift himself by his own bootstraps, advice which does not take into account the fact that he is barefoot” (16).
Perhaps my favorite part of this volume is how King speaks to socio-economic inequity. He makes clear that the root of the problem is cyclical, systemic oppression that renders the oppressed unable to escape poverty. One cannot use education and employment to lift themselves up when they do not even have access to the stepping stones leading to these avenues. I have always found ‘bootstrap’ philosophy particularly irksome for that particular reason; that and that the saying was originally meant as a sarcastic jab at affluent ignorance to working class woes.
Fitting into the bigger picture with nonviolent protest as the method and socioeconomic equality as the long-term goal, King’s calculated approach in Birmingham, Alabama is a brilliant example (blueprint even) of how to employ pragmatic process to meet idealized dreams. Considered the most segregated place in the U.S. at this time, King worked with a multitude of groups and strategically timed protests in accordance with current events.
“The ultimate tragedy of Birmingham was not the brutality of the bad people, but the silence of the good people” (51).
In this time and place where the KKK were quite active, King reflected that those who were ‘neutral,’ ‘moderate,’ or willing to remain silent were the largest problematic obstacles to freedom. Most considered King a radical at this point, dismissing him with the conviction that progress would come naturally if given time. What King correctly identifies is that time is neutral and progress is not inherently linear. Passive apathy crushed, while active protest pushed the Civil Rights Act up the docket in Congress.
“It was the people who moved their leaders, not the leaders who moved the people” (156).
Honestly, this book is amazing and it most definitely has my recommendation for pretty much everyone. No one inspires quite like Martin Luther King Jr. and his passion will always be relevant.
Reflecting on the U.S. civil rights achievements during 1963, the centennial year of the Emancipation Proclamation, Martin Luther King Jr. writes with elegance and urgency on the necessity of taking direct, nonviolent action in Why We Can’t Wait.
“The enemy the Negro faced became not the individual who had oppressed him but the evil system that permitted the individual to do so” (35).
Nonviolent protest is the famous method Martin Luther King Jr. employed in the fight for equality. In this volume he expressly details the bravery and sacrifice that such action entails, as well as why this Ghandian approach was most effective at achieving the goal of civil rights. Moreover, he stressed the importance of using this tactic in conjunction with legal action. With these forces combined, King lays bare how to impress the humanity of an oppressed people to their (participating and unwitting) oppressors. By attacking the system that oppressed, rather than individual agents, King made moves with lasting impact.
“When he seeks opportunity, he is told, in effect, to lift himself by his own bootstraps, advice which does not take into account the fact that he is barefoot” (16).
Perhaps my favorite part of this volume is how King speaks to socio-economic inequity. He makes clear that the root of the problem is cyclical, systemic oppression that renders the oppressed unable to escape poverty. One cannot use education and employment to lift themselves up when they do not even have access to the stepping stones leading to these avenues. I have always found ‘bootstrap’ philosophy particularly irksome for that particular reason; that and that the saying was originally meant as a sarcastic jab at affluent ignorance to working class woes.
Fitting into the bigger picture with nonviolent protest as the method and socioeconomic equality as the long-term goal, King’s calculated approach in Birmingham, Alabama is a brilliant example (blueprint even) of how to employ pragmatic process to meet idealized dreams. Considered the most segregated place in the U.S. at this time, King worked with a multitude of groups and strategically timed protests in accordance with current events.
“The ultimate tragedy of Birmingham was not the brutality of the bad people, but the silence of the good people” (51).
In this time and place where the KKK were quite active, King reflected that those who were ‘neutral,’ ‘moderate,’ or willing to remain silent were the largest problematic obstacles to freedom. Most considered King a radical at this point, dismissing him with the conviction that progress would come naturally if given time. What King correctly identifies is that time is neutral and progress is not inherently linear. Passive apathy crushed, while active protest pushed the Civil Rights Act up the docket in Congress.
“It was the people who moved their leaders, not the leaders who moved the people” (156).
Honestly, this book is amazing and it most definitely has my recommendation for pretty much everyone. No one inspires quite like Martin Luther King Jr. and his passion will always be relevant.