“We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

1960s, Letter from a Birmingham Jail (1963)
Source: Letter from the Birmingham Jail
Context: We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. 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. For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never." We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that "justice too long delayed is justice denied."

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Martin Luther King, Jr. 658

American clergyman, activist, and leader in the American Ci… 1929–1968

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