There are still many relevant cases of injustice towards African Americans in the present day. Black citizens still experience racial profiling, racial discourse, and abuse by law enforcement officers; these are three of the most prominent reasons that Martin Luther king Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is still relevant today. They outline the issues he wanted to fight against – issues that many American citizens deny the existence of today.
The life of a Negro was very hard in Birmingham because little to no one was on their side of the argument to desegregate. Most of the time, the locals were very hostile toward the Negros. They assumed if one Negro was aggressive and uncivilized, they all were. They feared social and political change because they were used to the segregated way of life. White southerners often profiled Negros as being unclean and unintelligent, simply because of the color of their skin. If Negros were submissive and infantile, the whites were strong and dignified. There was no freedom for Negros; if they wanted freedom, they should've been born white. Racial profiling still exists today, whether it's stopping a black person in a high-class neighborhood because of 'risk' of theft, or following a black person around a store to make sure no illegal activity is occurring. Racial profiling still happens and is still a big issue in our society. .
Though racial discourse was more common in the 1960's, it still exists in the United States today. In the 1960's people were more accustom to racial slurs and racial discrimination because Negroes weren't viewed as equal citizens during that time. If someone were to shout a racial slur at a Negro on the streets in Birmingham in 1963, there was more of a possibility of it becoming a group activity. But if someone were to shout a racial slur on the streets today, it would be completely unacceptable and bystanders would most likely protect those who were being attacked.
