The Meaning of Freedom: Civil Rights Movement Leaders' Perspectives

This essay delves into the concept of freedom as articulated by key leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. It analyzes the perspectives of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Stokely Carmichael, examining their speeches and writings, including the "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and "The Ballot or the Bullet." The essay highlights the leaders' emphasis on the necessity of fighting for rights, demanding equality, and achieving freedom through self-improvement and collective action, rather than waiting for privileges to be granted. It underscores the leaders' shared belief in the importance of challenging oppression and striving for justice and respect. The essay also discusses the leaders' views on how the oppressed should not wait for their rights, but should instead fight for them in order to gain them. The similarities in all the speeches and the letter is that all the philosophers and the leaders emphasized on equality for all and that freedom is worthy of being fought for.

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THE MEANING OF FREEDOM
Freedom is the fundamental right of every individual in the society. It is what makes the
essence of a man. The world history is filled with incidences of struggle for freedom. The so-
called civilized white supremacists have always looked down upon other people who possessed
fewer resources than they possess and dehumanized them. Many leaders have fought for the right
to freedom for all. Their struggle led to movements and their speeches fuelled peoples’ sense of
determination who were downtrodden. The present paper discusses the concept of freedom
according to the letters and speeches of the black leaders during the Civil Rights Movement.
The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” that was written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in
1963 is one such example where the great leader explains the atrocities the black people faced in
the country and that they had all the rights to fight for justice (King Jr). According to him,
freedom is something that is demanded by the oppressor. It is never given by the oppressor
voluntarily. He says in his letter, “I guess it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging
darts of segregation to say, “wait”.” He emphasises on the fact that people who are oppressed
and discriminated against should not wait for getting their rights instead they should fight for it,
struggle and demand for it in order to get it.
“The Ballot or the Bullet” was a speech delivered by Malcolm X in the year 1964. In that
speech, he talked about the rights of the black people and asked the audience to put aside their
differences in religion and gender and work together towards the progress of the black people

(Malcolm). According to him, freedom can be achieved by changing oneself. There is a need for
re-evaluation and re-educating in order to gain true freedom. There is no need to ask the white
men to change their thinking processes and their approach. On the contrary, it is more important
that the oppressed people lift themselves up through education and fighting for their rights in
every way of life.
“I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired”, was a speech given by Fannie Lou Hamer in
1964. She was one of the most important civil rights movement leaders. The first line itself states
the mindset of Lou. It compels the people to think that being sick and tired of the oppression will
not lead to anything instead; they have to be inspirations for others to pave the way for them. She
says in her speech, “I’m showing people that a Negro can run for office” (Yearby). With a
powerful voice she explains that it is always necessary to fight for one’s rights instead of being
gloomy and depressed about the situation they are currently in. The black people had always
faced certain discrimination and she showed that it was time that the people who were once
looked down upon were not capable of achieving anything and everything in the world. That was
true freedom according to her.
Another speech that discusses the concept of freedom in the context of the rights of black
people is “Black Power” delivered by Stokely Carmichael in the year 1966. He was the great
philosopher behind the black power movement. According to him, it was important that the
African Americans overcame their struggles and fears to move forward and pave the way for
their bright future. He emphasises on the idea of freedom for some against freedom for all
(JustUs). In his speech he refers to the idea of extending “Black Power” to the whole crowd, that
racism does not affect the black people only; it affects all communities globally. Freedom
according to him is a concept that every person has a fundamental right upon and that certain

people cannot simply choose freedom for themselves and deny the same rights to others. The
black people had to get the same rights and privileges that the white people got.
The similarities in all the speeches and the letter is that all the philosophers and the
leaders emphasized on equality for all. They emphasized that freedom is worthy of being fought
for. Sitting behind and lamenting on their condition is not an option and it is necessary that they
fight for rights to gain respect. Thus, freedom according to the great leaders of the Civil Rights
Movement leaders was achieving success and not waiting for privileges to be assigned to them
by others.

Works Cited
JustUs, "Stokely Carmichael At UC Berkeley - Black Power" https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=dFFWTsUqEaY
King Jr, Martin Luther. "Letter from Birmingham jail." Liberating faith: Religious voices for
justice, peace, & ecological wisdom (2012): 177-187.
Malcolm, X. "The ballot or the bullet." April 3 (1964): 23-44.
Yearby, Ruqaiijah. "Sick and tired of being sick and tired: putting an end to separate and unequal
health care in the United States 50 years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964." Health
Matrix 25 (2015): 1.