Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail
A conversation about justice, extremism and activism
Course Details
- Price: FREE
- Start Date: On Demand
- Duration: 4 hours
- Partner: Acumen’s Fellowship Program
What You’ll Learn:
- Facilitate a conversation about issues of justice, activism, extremism, race using a text by Martin Luther King Jr. as a springboard
- Explore your own relationship to activism and issues of social justice
- Draw parallels between historical antecedents and current events
Description:
Issues of injustice persist in our world today and require urgent action. Yet conversations around race, activism, extremism and justice can be difficult to have. This course will equip you to lead a discussion on these important and challenging topics by using Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” as a springboard. The discussion guide provided in this course will help you explore MLK’s arguments, dissect his masterful use of rhetoric, and come to a better understanding of how to address issues of social injustice in the present time and in your own community.
Format:
Discussion-Based Course
Course Syllabus
Download (108.48 KB)- Downloadable version of Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter
- Step-by-step facilitator’s guide and background materials that will equip you to host a small group of friends or colleagues for a discussion
- Reading: Welcome Message from Jacqueline Novogratz
- Activity: Pre-Meeting Checklist
- Reading: Context on Martin Luther King and this Letter
- Reading: Letter from a Birmingham Jail
- Activity: Reflection Questions
- Activity: Introduce Yourself to the Course Community
- Discussion: Welcome and Introductions
- Discussion: Group Norms
- Discussion: Step-by-Step Analysis of the Letter
- Discussion: Wrap-Up
- Activity: Reflection on Discussion
Supported By
This discussion guide has been drawn from the curriculum for Acumen’s Fellowship program. This curriculum has been developed by Acumen’s Leadership team including Jacqueline Novogratz, Sasha Dichter and Bavidra Mohan who have years of experience hosting powerful conversations with emerging moral leaders from around the world.
What People Are Saying
"This course is perfect for people who believe in a social cause but are sometimes not confident enough to defend it in front of others. It equips you with life long lessons and a proven example from someone who went through all of this and changed the course of history."
