In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self purification; and direct action.

Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” was written exactly 50 years ago, on this day. Do read it again if you can. A paragraph:

You may well ask: “Why direct action? Why sit ins, marches and so forth? Isn’t negotiation a better path?” You are quite right in calling for negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent resister may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word “tension.” I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, so must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood. The purpose of our direct action program is to create a situation so crisis packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation. I therefore concur with you in your call for negotiation. Too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in a tragic effort to live in monologue rather than dialogue.

MLK Jr’s tone is conversational — he tries to reason with his readers — as well as indignant and righteous. And he takes great aim at the ‘white moderate’. His description of the white moderate feels… timeless.

First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action”; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a “more convenient season.” Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

“Look for the helpers. You’ll always find people who are helping.”
— Mister Rogers

I’m imagining Mister Rogers dropping the mic and swaggering off the set in his sweater, knowing these words would help kids and adults alike focus on what needed focusing on, after a tragedy. Thank you, Fred. Now can this be our collective motto for everything, everyday?

Thank you, first responders, the greater Boston community, and the world. “Cooperation after a Tragedy: When our Hearts Know Better than our Minds”

Respect to Dave Zirin (@edgeofsports), for reminding us of the history of the Boston marathon and of Kathrine Switzer, the first woman who ran the race. “The Boston Marathon: All my Tears, All my Love”

“If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon.” – Kathrine Switzer

And that awful feeling in Boston — of chaos, pain, the worst experience ever? It’s hard to stomach the multiple, coordinated, terror attacks of car bombs and roadside bombs and armed gunmen all around the country of Iraq today. We mourn the deaths of 75, the wounds of 356, the terrorized psyches of Iraqis. Unimaginable. “Iraq’s Bloody Monday: 75 Killed, 356 Wounded”

Iraq, we are with you. My heart aches. Our hearts ache.

“Give your daughters difficult names. Give your daughters names that command the full use of tongue. My name makes you want to tell me the truth. My name doesn’t allow me to trust anyone that cannot pronounce it right … Give your children difficult names, so the world may learn how to unfurl its tongue in the direction of our stolen languages.”  – Warsan Shire

And “Stay”. Wasn’t ready for this one. Oh, my my.

“Built for This” with Method Man, Freddie Gibbs, and Streetlife, was the first release from RZA’s soundtrack to Tarantino’s upcoming flick Man with the Iron Fists. This track has ridiculous bass and drum lines, and is quite addictive. It had me wanting more.

Well it’s time. The album’s due out in just a few days. Thanks to Pitchfork, you can stream the entire album until its release –> [Link]

Courtesy of Teju Cole, below are 20 songs he posted individually on twitter. thx to leah reich for compiling these into one playlist.