MLK's Four Steps
King’s letter stated his methods for his campaign, “In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action. We have gone through all these steps in Birmingham.” The first step that King stated, collection of the facts, was to prevent misunderstandings by investigating injustices clearly and carefully to ensure responsibility for the particular issue. King always used these steps to assess any situation that needed to be controlled.
Once an injustice has been confirmed, King suggests in his Letter to use negotiation as the next step to resolution. This requires meeting with adversaries to discuss the problem and attempt to work out a solution. An example of this type of negotiation was in 1960 when King negotiated with Atlanta’s Mayor after a protest incident at a lunch counter. This was an example of a successful negotiation; but if no solution is possible, King urges to continue fighting for justice.
Which leads to his third step named ‘self-purification’. This crucial step explains how a person must be ready for the violent opposition that is inevitable in socially unjust situations. It requires inner personal strength and endurance. During the civil rights movement, in preparation for the protests, students spent months of training to withstand the mental and physical abuse that they knew they would encounter from the segregationists.
The final step that King stated was ‘direct action’ this next component needs the support from every single thing that has been completed already. Having every last step followed through very carefully and cautiously is required for using direct action to its full extent. Direct action is the clever use of nonviolent tactics and methods to bring an opponent into dialogue to resolve an unjust situation. It is used as a moral force to illustrate, document and counter injustices. This step is used by Martin Luther King Jr. more than any other, to complete any successful non-violent campaign.
