Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress. — Martin Luther King, Jr., April 16, 1963
If you’ve never read King’s Letter From A Birmingham Jail, take the opportunity to do so now. He begins by noting that everything Hitler did was “legal” by German standards of the time. His letter goes on to argue the need to focus on justice rather than law and order, even when it means breaking the law.
One thing we can say about our system of law and order is that it rarely represents justice. The more cynical among us claim it doesn’t even aim to establish justice. Whether criminal or civil, the reality is that the courts work for people with money — lots of money — and against those without it.
The courts are about power. But power sometimes comes in the form of a sheer willingness to object, to fight back (albeit peacefully), to call for justice when all indications are that ears are closed. Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of many we can thank for that lesson.
As we celebrate King’s birthday this week, let us all take that lesson to heart, and keep pushing for justice in the courts.
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William Zander says
Martin Luther Kings letter is this the heart of the honest civil rights movement and his fear of Bull Connor not knowing if that letter would ever be heard Bull plan against Martin Luther King would have been far worst than what we know if the world wasn’t watching God Bless you for putting the letter up for people to read and go to a dictionary and look up every word that you come across that you don’t understand. It’s a great learning tool incredible!
Angela McLareah says
I love this. I’m from Birmingham and even though I’m surrounded by history of the Civil Rights/Freedom Movement, riding by the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church at night still gives me chills. That time period was huge in terms of what was accomplished for all but we still have work to be done. I’ve heard people ask why things are the way they are today, and question why no one will stand up for what’s right like Dr. King did. I believe he knew God was on is side and because of that he had no fear. We don’t have leaders today that are willing to give themselves fully to stand up for what’s right. He also created a revolution in others and it takes a revolution, along with great and fearless leaders to force the change we need. We seem to want this great change without any collateral damage. Of course we do, but it’s inevitable. That’s when we put all of our faith in God, hold on tightly and charge forward. This is the only way we’ll ever stop our decline and the only way we’ll ever know justice on this earth, and if we choose to overlook the injustices that go on around us every day, we’ll deprive ourselves of the reward of knowing the true peace God has waiting for us.