As the push for racial equality gathered strength and momentum, the growing tension

between black and white Americans grew to new heights. After the Supreme Court ruling of
Plessy V. Ferguson, which granted the state of Louisiana the right to segregate blacks and whites
as long as equal facilities were provided (American Civilization; A Brief History, 541), the
pressure to fight for civil rights began to boil in the minds of many African Americans and other
civil right supporters. As the fight and discussion over the ruling of Plessy V. Ferguson, which
was later declared unconstitutional and was overturned, raged on, various plans of action were
arranged by African American communities across the southern United States. Sit ins, walk ins,
marches, and many more protests marked the start to a revolution and helped pave the path
towards social justice. But in order for those protests to be successful, the concept of good
timing became a major factor in the fight for civil rights. In both of the documents, both Martin
Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X describe the urgency and stress over timing during the fight for
civil rights; the timing of action, the timing of being silent, and the timing of being silenced.
In the eloquently written letter by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., King is addressing the
criticism he received from a group of white clergymen due to his actions during the boycotts in
the city of Birmingham. The clergymen described Kings actions as unwise and untimely
(King), but in the eyes of King and the others involved in the civil rights movement, his plan for
change and action were long overdue. King found himself in the epicenter of racism in the most
thoroughly segregated town in the United States (King). Despite the risk and danger that he, and
those he protested with, faced from the city, King knew that Birmingham was a place of
injustice. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere (King). King understood that

standing by a place filled with such hatred and injustice without taking any action is an act of
negligence and is dangerous to the rest of the United States.
As the civil rights movement pushed its way through Birmingham, King led a peaceful
and nonviolent campaign to negotiate peace and freedom to the African American community.
First, they gathered the facts to determine if injustice exists, then they worked towards
negotiation with various leaders in the city of Birmingham. After many promises were left
unfulfilled, including the promise to remove humiliating racial signs from various stores across
town, the movement determined that is was time to take direct action. As the citys white
power structure left the Negro community with no alternative (King), civil right activists geared
up to take action, but the struggle with good timing left the movement in a dead-lock.
As King prepared for the non-violent demonstration, he found it difficult to find the right
time to execute his plan of action. Between the Christmas holiday and the upcoming
Birmingham mayoral election, King found that any time scheduled would be viewed as bad
timing. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was well timed in the
view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. (King) Finally,
King realized that he cannot postpone the fight for equality any longer. For years, King has be
scrutinized for having bad timing and has constantly been told to Wait! But by constantly
delaying the fight for justice, King found that the word Wait! meant the same as saying
Never. In his letter, King challenges the clergymen to see the world from the viewpoint of a
black man; to understand why one cannot say the word Wait after seeing their family and
friends endure such pain and violence. After seeing mobs attacking your mother and father and
killing your brother and sister at whim. After watching police officers, those sworn to protect,

kick, curse, and kill your fellow black brothers and sisters without batting an eye. After
watching the face of your daughter when you tell her she cannot go to the amusement park
because it is closed to colored people. When you are harassed and humiliated day and night, only
due to the fact that you are a Negro. Only after you have seen the world from the eyes of the
oppressed will one understand that it is impossible to Wait (King). As King continued to work
for the rights of African Americans, he found that there is no such thing to have good timing
when the rights and the freedoms of the people are at stake. Justice too long delayed is justice
denied (King).
In the speech given by Malcolm X, the idea that African Americans are facing life or
death in terms of timing during the fight for civil rights was the primary theme presented in his
speech. Were going to be forced either to use the ballot or the bullet. (Malcolm X). Malcolm
described the urgency and the need to make a change, either by vote or by violence, or else the
voice from the African American community will miss its chance to be heard. Malcolm
discusses the lies and the tricks that have been told to the African American communities from
white political crooks (Malcolm X); lies and promises that are only told with the intention to
keep the African American vote, and not to actually make a change. He is appalled that the same
government that is asking for the lives of its people during a time of war can have the audacity to
deprive those same citizens from their right to vote, deprive them of their right to have economic
opportunities, to deprive them of their chance to live in a nice home, and deprive them of the
right to receive a decent education (Malcolm X). Fed up and disgusted with the U.S.
Government, Malcolm called for a change.

In contrast to Dr. Kings idea of civil disobedience and peaceful protest, Malcolm
believed in a more violent and radical approach. Malcolm believed that if they continued with
passive protesting and the turn the-other-cheek mentality, he believed that the movement
would run out of time and African Americans would lose their chance to gain the freedoms they
rightfully possess. Malcolm also discusses how the new thinking and ideas from young African
Americans can create a huge push in the fight for civil rights. Young African Americans
teenagers in Jacksonville were found retaliating and throwing Molotov cocktails; something that
hasnt been seen during the civil rights movement before. Malcolm describes how even those
young teenagers understand that time is running out and they realize that a new strategy has to be
put in place or else their chance at freedom will be lost. They need to fight fire with fire or else
they will be faced with the only other alternative; which is death. Malcolm advises the African
American community to listen and follow the actions of those young teenagers in Jacksonville.
He advises them to listen to their message and realize that they cannot sit back and wait for
justice to find them. The time to fight is running out, and in order to win the war over civil rights,
they must go out and seek justice themselves, before it is too late.
While reading through both of these documents and finding the common theme of
time, the only thing that came to my mind was a song written by Sam Cooke. A Change is
Gonna Come was written in 1964 in light of a conflict between the singer and the prejudice he
received at a Holiday Inn in Louisiana on October 8, 1963. Although Cooke had already made
reservations, he was turned away by that hotel because of the color of his skin. Cooke, along
with his fellow band mates were outraged at the hotel clerk and they refused to leave until they
got their rooms. The group was eventually persuaded to leave, but they were eventually tracked
down by police officers who arrested them for "disturbing the peace". This song was written as

an anthem to the Civil Rights Movement. Cooke talks about the fear and struggles that he faces
every day and the fight over timing of the Civil Rights Movement. Cooke knows that the fight
for equality is A long time coming and he acknowledges that the need for change is much
overdue. Yet, through all of his fear, he knows that the fight for equality is on the path to victory
and he is hopeful that "A change is gonna come" (Cooke).
Works Cited
American Civilization, A Brief History. 2nd Edition, Salt Lake Community College, 2016
Cooke, Sam, A Change is Gonna Come, Aint That Good News, RCA Victor, 1964.
King, Martin Luther, Jr. "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." Letter. 16 Apr. 1963.
X, Malcolm. "Ballot or the Bullet." Ohio, Cleveland. 03 Apr. 1964. Speech.