Matthew Yglesias notes that Martin Luther King should be remembered not only for his views on racial justice but also on his believe in nonviolent protest.

For me, King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail will always be the ultimate statement on the urgency of confronting injustice and the proper means by which to do it. The letter was a response to a statement made by eight Alabama clergymen that King and his movement should wait on the courts to address unjust laws rather than engaging in nonviolent protest and civil disobedience.

The letter is short and worth reading in its entirety, especially on this day.