The Fight for Social Justice

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It has been proven that often, the fight for social justice and the common good comes at a great cost to those involved. Through writings such as Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” and Sophocles’ “Antigone”, as well as, lectures such as Dr.Colbourn’s lecture “Confronting History and the Good Life: Life after Rosewood” it is demonstrated how life, freedom, and a normal everyday life suffer as a cost of fighting for social justice and the common good.
To begin with, Dr. Martin Luther King as well as many other African- Americans fought for equality, social justice, and a better life for African- American resulting in a great cost. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was ridiculed and was the target of many attacks simply for trying to exercise his freedom of speech and his right to protest. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested a total of 30 times during his lifetime. When he wrote his famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” Dr. King was placed in jail while peacefully protesting due to the officials in Birmingham claiming that he was “parading without a permit”. The fact that he was arrested 30 times, proves Dr. King was not afraid to risk his freedom during his fight for a better life. Not only Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, but also his family’s life changed during his fight for social justice and the common good. His children never got the chance to live a normal childhood. His family served as an example for the black community and a target for racist people who were against his actions. His family traveled a lot as well. In the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, Dr. King explains how he was called to Birmingham, Alabama from Atlanta, Georgia by affiliates to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to help...

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...lbourn, Dr. David. ""Confronting History and the Good Life; Life after Rosewood"" 2013 Common Lecture. Rion Ballroom, Gainesville. Sept. 2013.
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King, Dr. Martin L., Jr. "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." Letter to Fellow Clergymen. 16 Apr. 1963. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER - UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. Ali B. Ali-Dinar, Ph.D. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
Sophocles, and Mary Whitlock. Blundell. Sophocles' Antigone: With Introduction, Translation and Essay. Newburyport, MA: Focus Pub./R Pullins, 1998. Print.

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