In celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we recognize a significant and impactful artifact preserved at the University of Alabama—an original copy of Dr. King’s renowned “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” In this historic document, he penned the timeless and widely quoted words, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
In the letter, King wrote compellingly about why these well-meaning appeals to moderation—attempts to convince the Black community to wait just a little longer for equality and justice—were unfair and short-sighted. “This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never,’” he memorably wrote. He gave poignant and moving examples of the corrosive effects of such moderated “waiting”—not only from past history and current politics but also from the lives of his own children.
Alabama Heritage details the events surrounding the creation of this extraordinary letter, exploring its historical context and significance.
It was 1963, and the city of Birmingham, like the nation, was going through a racial revolution. City police responded to demonstrations and peaceful protests with violence. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. traveled from Atlanta to Birmingham to help mobilize the movement. Eight white clergymen had just published an open letter April 12 in the Birmingham News urging restraint.
King was arrested later that day and spent nine days in the Birmingham city jail, including time in solitary confinement. While there, King penned notes in the margins of an edition of Birmingham News, reaching out to most of the eight white clergymen. Those notes, passed through a jail trustee and then to King’s lawyer, were transcribed by a secretary and compiled into a letter that would then be sent to seven of the eight clergymen.



The Southern Christian Leadership Conference mailed copies of the letter to other clergymen throughout the state. One of those recipients was Methodist minister Rev. Joe Higginbotham of Centre, Alabama. In 2006, his wife, Ann, donated the letter to the University of Alabama where the University Library Special Collections digitized the 21-page document so that scholars and visitors everywhere could have access to this key artifact of the Civil Rights Movement.
Dr. Lorraine Madway, and the retired associate dean for special collections, Said: “It is significant that the letters were sent to clergymen who were moderates at that time” The thrust of much of this letter is to criticize those who were advocating moderation at a time when the struggle demanded direct action—direct nonviolent action.”
Dated April 16, 1963, King wrote that he went to Birmingham as then-president of the SCLC to aid affiliate groups before being arrested. He famously said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” and asked the clergymen to reflect on the city’s history of segregation and to act. He continued with eloquent examples of violence and desegregation promises that weren’t upheld, while also questioning why negotiations with city officials weren’t working.
“King is an effective persuader,” Madway said. “He is saying to the clergymen that what I’m sharing with you is steeped in Christian and Jewish teachings. He’s quoting the Hebrew Bible as well as New Testament material and saying, ‘you are clergymen, but you’re not honoring your own tradition.’”
The letter offers four principles to nonviolent action: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action. He closed the letter stating that one day the South will recognize its real heroes, those who stood up courageously for change. The seven clergymen who received the letter were urged to reflect on their past decisions and work toward a world free of segregation.
About the Author

Caroline Gazzara-McKenzie is the marketing and digital media manager for Alabama Heritage. She earned her bachelor’s degree in sports journalism in 2016 and master’s in international journalism in 2019 from the University of Alabama.
She has worked for several publications, including UA’s Alumni magazine; several newspapers, including The Tuscaloosa News; and was a communications specialist for the University of Alabama’s Strategic Communications division.
This article was first published on the University of Alabama’s News Center by Caroline Gazzara-McKenzie. It was later revised for the Alabama Heritage blog.
Images courtesy of the University of Alabama’s Division of Strategic Communications.