“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

History Politics & Civics

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

— Martin Luther King Jr., 1963

Verification

Verified

Wording confirmed against a primary source.

Matches the King Institute's text of the letter.

Source

Title: Letter from Birmingham Jail
Type: letter · Primary source
Date: 16 April 1963
Location: Early in the letter
Held by: The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, Stanford

View source at The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, Stanford

Context

Written while King was jailed in Birmingham, Alabama, replying to white clergymen who called protests "unwise and untimely".

What it means

Injustice in one place affects all people; no one can ignore it as someone else's problem.

Cite this source

Jr., Martin Luther King. (16 April 1963). Letter from Birmingham Jail. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, Stanford. https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/letter-birmingham-jail

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Provenance: Manually entered from the King Institute, Stanford University.