Letter from Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Close Reading)

Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963) is one of the most important moral documents of the American 20th century, written in response to a public statement by eight white Alabama clergymen who urged King to slow down, wait, and pursue change through less “unwise and untimely” means. Composed in the margins of a newspaper while King was jailed for participating in nonviolent demonstrations, the letter offers a patient but uncompromising defense of civil disobedience, the urgency of justice, and the moral responsibility to resist unjust laws.

Join us for a close reading of this open letter and a discussion of civil disobedience in 2026. We encourage you to read this short, but dense letter (click here for reading link), which will be the focus of our discussion.