Fighting injustice
Activists and lobby groups exist to serve a common interest which often involves stopping a major injustice in society. Often times, protests are used as a tool to air people’s dissatisfaction with the injustice and desire for change. The approach has been used throughout history as was the case with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Caesar Chavez in their fight to end social inequality. Although they used different approaches, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Chavez united people against a common form of oppression and relied on protests as a call to action and instrument of change.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. challenged the status quo when he advocated for equal rights of the African American community. African Americans were treated as lesser human beings compared to whites. Some of the Injustices that MLK sought to fight included unfair representation of African Americans in courts and also advocated for the removal of humiliating racial signs (King, 1963). Chavez on the other hand sought to end the common norm where Catholic churches did not play their role in helping the community. Chavez considered the church’s unwillingness to help those in need an injustice especially because the church’s existence was heavily dependent on the survival of the congregation (Chavez, 1968). Chavez also believed that the church was morally obliged to help those in need.
Concerning religion, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. uses religion as a tool to critique and bring about change by comparing the challenges his people were going through with trials in the bible and using their success as a testament that his quest will one day come to pass (Kesler, 2010). A good example is the case where King uses the example of Christians who were so devout to their faith that they were willing to be thrown in a den full of hungry lions rather than submit to unjust human laws (King, 1963). The reference from the bible is used as a call to action, urging people to commit to their cause and give whatever it takes to bring an end to oppression and discrimination of the Negro community.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. also uses religion as a cautionary tale against those who engage actions that discriminate or oppress the Negro community. In his address, King mentioned how Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego refused to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar because they served a higher moral law. Since religion has more influence over people’s actions, it can also be used to incite people against acts of oppression (King, 1963). King urged those in power to seek out ways to bring about equality before the oppressed decided to take matters in their own hands. Uniting people under religion ensured that the protests operated under a common moral code and sought to end the injustice that had long been considered a social norm.
Chavez also believed that the church could be used to bring about change and put an end to social injustices that exist in society. In his address, Chavez compared the efforts from the Protestant community against those from Catholics especially when helping the poor and needy (Chavez, 1968). His observations revealed that although both Protestants and Catholics were in a position to help the poor, the Catholics were more reluctant compared to Protestants. Chavez however believed that positive change would only be achieved if priests, bishops and big officials from the catholic community got involved and did as much to help the poor as the protestants.
The methods used by King and Chavez to affect change were similar in that they both understood the importance of getting people involved in the fight to end social injustices. The letter by King for example was a call to action explaining his actions and also urging people to follow his example and join in the fight to end oppression and discrimination of people from the Negro community (King, 1963). The letter addressed the various forms of oppression that existed in society, what King had done to try and put a stop to them and also what was required to ensure that people were treated equally in society. Chavez’s address was also similar to King’s in that he tried to explain the activities he was engaged in, the social injustice they sought to stop and how people go get involved and stop the injustice (Chavez, 1968). Chavez called on church leaders, especially in the Catholic community to turn away from a status quo that limited the churches involvement in the community for a more direct role that would place leaders in the front line towards helping the poor and stopping vices that oppress them in society.
Another similarity is that both Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Caesar Chavez called for peaceful protests in their fight to bring about positive change. In his letter, King narrates how he was responsible for various protests that were often put on hold to allow for special events such as Christmas and elections (Kessler, 2010). Chavez on the other hand opted to work with Protestants to offer help to the poor while still finding ways to get the Catholic Church more involved with helping those in need.
The contribution that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Caesar Chavez had in the fight to end social injustices greatly influenced how people approach injustices in society. Their approach to rely on negotiations and peaceful protests has been carried on in different protests that seek to have a similar impact. Although protests and demonstrations tend to get violent, both King and Chavez attributed this to the tipping point where the oppressed can no longer seat back and the oppressor must change the social norm and bring about positive change. Despite using different methods, the use of peaceful protests and negotiations proved successful, to some extent, in helping King and Chavez bring about positive change.
References
Chavez E, (1968) “The Mexican-American and the Church” retrieved from, https://libraries.ucsd.edu/farmworkermovement/essays/essays/Cesar%20Chavez%20- %20The%20Mexican-American%20and%20the%20Church.pdf
Kessler, B. (2010). Building It All From Scraps. Xlibris Corporation.
King L, (1963) “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” African Studies Center- University of Pennsylvania, retrieved from, https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html
