Martin Luther King Jr was a Baptist minister and social activist who played a key role in the American civil rights movement from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968. King is remembered as one of the greatest orators in American history, an advocate of nonviolent protest and a leader in the fight for racial equality. However, many people are not aware of King's criticism of the white moderate.
The White Moderate
In his "Letter from Birmingham Jail," King addressed the white moderate who was more concerned about order than justice, and who was willing to sacrifice the rights of black people to maintain that order. King argued that the white moderate was more of an obstacle to progress than the KKK, because the KKK's views were already known, but the white moderate claimed to support racial equality while refusing to take action.
King wrote, "I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to 'order' than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice."
The Importance of Action
King believed that in order to achieve true equality, people needed to take action. He did not believe that waiting for change to happen was the right approach. He believed that people needed to take a stand and fight for what they believed in. He believed that the white moderate was an obstacle to progress because they were unwilling to take action.
King wrote, "Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection."
The Relevance Today
The criticism of the white moderate is still relevant today. There are still people who claim to support equality but are unwilling to take action. They are more concerned with maintaining the status quo than fighting for change. King believed that in order to achieve true equality, people needed to be willing to take action.
King wrote, "Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals."
The Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr
Martin Luther King Jr's legacy lives on today. His message of equality and justice for all is still relevant. He believed that people needed to take action to achieve true equality. He believed that the white moderate was an obstacle to progress because they were unwilling to take action. His message is still relevant today, and we can all learn from his example.
King wrote, "The time is always right to do what is right."