In Harper Lee’s 1960 novel “To Kill A Mockingbird,” Atticus Finch is appointed as defense lawyer for Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of raping a young white girl in Depression-Era Alabama. Toward the end of Chapter Three, Finch shares his uncompromisingly noble moral philosophy regarding racism and its attendant stereotyping with his six-year-old daughter, Scout. “You never really understand a person,” Atticus tells her, “Until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”
That is one of those quotes that prompts me to say, “I wish I had said that.”
Harper Lee won the Pulitzer Prize for her book in 1961 as the battle for civil rights in the United States intensified in virtually every segment of society. At the same time, a young black Baptist minister from Atlanta was rapidly gaining national attention as the leader of and spokesman for the American civil rights movement. His name was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and he was 32 years old.
Influenced by the writings of the Indian Hindu religious philosopher and civil rights activist Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), Dr. King embraced and advocated non-violence and civil disobedience in the sermons and speeches he gave, in the demonstrations and protests he led, in the interactions and conversations he had with both his followers and his opponents all over the country. King made the civil rights movement “front page news” everywhere throughout the turbulent 1960s. As first President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (1957-68), he helped organize the landmark “March on Washington” in 1963, where his famous “I Have A Dream” speech instantly became a national inspiration and oratorical treasure.
Read the full message HERE.THE CHANCERY OFFICES IN LAWRENCEVILLE WILL BE CLOSED, Monday, Jan. 16, in observance of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.