Martin Luther King, Jr.: letter from Birmingham Jail

Duration: 26

Year Published: 1988

Creator: Coronet/MTI

Format: 16mm

Color: Color

Sound: sound

Description: On Good Friday in 1963, fifty-three blacks led by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. marched into downtown Birmingham to protest the existing segregation laws. All were arrested. The clergymen of this southern city composed a letter appealing to the black population to stop their demonstrations. This letter appeared in the Birmingham News the very day King was jailed. In response, Martin Luther King drafted a document that would mark the turning point of the Civil Rights Movement and provide added inspiration for the struggles of racial equality. In this re-enactment, King is shown composing his rebuttal to the clergymen's calling for patience, saying the black race, confronted by blasted hopes and deep disappointments has no alternative but preparing for direct action. Interspersed with these dramatized sequences is footage of civil rights protests and the brutal retaliation of police. The program ends with the actual recording of Martin Luther King delivering his immortal I have a dream speech.