In 1963, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was behind bars in Alabama as a result of his continuing crusade for civil rights. While there, he was the subject of criticism by eight white clergymen, who called his protests and demonstrations “unwise and untimely.” In response, King wrote a letter from Birmingham City Jail, noting, “I guess it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say, ‘Wait.’ ”

It stands today as one of the great writings in American history. Here, from the letter, is a single, pain-filled, 300-plus word sentence, explaining why waiting was “unwise and........

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