By Emma Velez, Columnist
April 16 marked the 50th anniversary of the day that Martin Luther King, Jr. began writing his acclaimed Letter from Birmingham Jail. I was among those members of the OCU community who participated in a worldwide coordinated reading of King’s letter to celebrate its historic impact and continued relevance in today’s world.
Though I’d read it before, I will admit I was struck anew by the stark clarity in which King’s letter offers universal insight that transcends the issue of segregation. King writes, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
These words resonate with the myriad of injustices that take place daily in contemporary society. Groups fighting for equal rights for women, environmental activists, and members of the LGBTQ community have much to gain from King’s call to action and chastisement of those who maintain the status quo.
As I reflect on King’s call for the action of “creative extremists”, I cannot help but think of those Oklahomans, two of whom I know personally, that are actively resisting construction the Keystone XL. Recently arrested for impeding construction by locking themselves to pieces of equipment, these Oklahomans have demonstrated that they are “willingly going to jail for conscience’ sake”.
This demonstration of active resistance to the oil-drenched politics and economy of our state is incredibly courageous and demonstrates an intense desire to fight institutionalized injustice. King warns that fear is paralyzing, as is excessive cautiousness and the desire to wait for the right moment.
King writes, “For years now I have heard the word “Wait!” … This “Wait” has almost always meant “Never.” King understood that “justice too long delayed is justice denied.” King, an ordained Baptist minister, also criticized the complicity of the religious establishment and the “anesthetizing security of the stained glass windows”.
It is from this comatose state that America watches as Congress continues to refuse to pass legislation for equitable pay for women, continues to sanction drone strikes against civilians, and continues to build pipelines that have proven to be disastrous as exemplified by the spill in the fragile ecosystems of the tar sands of Arkansas.
Dr. King’s letter continues to stand as a challenge to act for those whose moral consciences are offended by the injustice that continues to riddle the world. As Dr. King wrote, “the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.”
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