Martin Luther King Jr. was born in a society where racial segregation was nearly omnipresent. People of African or mixed descent could not attend the same schools, sit in the same park, be in the same restaurants or use the same drinking fountains as white. They lived in different areas and attended different churches. If they were in need of medical care, they could not be taken to the same hospital where the whites were treated. When they recited the oath in court, they used to put their hand on the “Negro” Bible. While defenders of the white society claimed that both races have equal opportunities, the living conditions of blacks and whites were quite unequal. Poverty and oppression were widespread, and opportunities for a better life were negligible.
Growing up in such a world, Martin Luther King, Jr. stood out as a talented student with a remarkable oratorical gift. As the son and grandson of famous clergymen, he began studying to become a pastor, but unlike most of the southern black pastors of his generation, he went to the North to continue his studies. He completed his doctoral dissertation at Boston University.

In 1954, he returned to the South to become a pastor of the famous Baptist church on Dexter Avenue in Montgomery, Alabama. Less than a year later, he became one of the leaders of the organization that fought for equal rights for the blacks. In the spring of 1963, the leaders of this movement turned their attention to the big city of Birmingham, Alabama, where another pastor, the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth organized a local coalition to combat segregation. On April 3rd demonstrations started, and 20 or 30 people were arrested. A week later, on Good Friday, Rev. Shuttlesworth, Dr. King, and about 50 other leaders led the march to the city center, where they were arrested.

While in jail, Dr. King wrote his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, which was later reprinted and multiplied by millions of copies as a manifesto of non-violent protest movement.

The letter was addressed to the white clergymen of Birmingham, who urged protesters to stop their march. He encouraged them to consider the underlying causes of the recent demonstrations. He considered Birmingham to be the most segregated city in the United States. Local black organizations tried to enforce the removal of signs “whites only” from the stores, but their efforts were in vain.

Dr. King also described the cruelty and humiliation that black citizens had to face every day in his letter. Under such circumstances, the laws of Christian duty were challenged. Still, the white Christian pastors, who knew that segregation was immoral, refused to challenge it. Dr. King described this attitude as “an eerie silence of the good people”.