1963 Birmingham Civil Rights Movement Pledge
This pledge - a set of ten commitments - was a Commitment Card that every volunteer in the 1963 Birmingham campaign was required to sign - at a time that was a turning point in America's Civil Rights
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference asked every participant to root themselves in nonviolence and spiritual discipline, fully committed to justice, love, and peaceful resistance - even in the face of arrest and violence.
We hold up this pledge not because our trials equal theirs. The men, women, and children of that movement, especially Americans of African descent, bore burdens and dangers we hope to never face.
We embrace this pledge because they proved something for all Americans: Ordinary citizens, disciplined in love and unshaken by their opponents’ conduct, can change a nation without becoming what they oppose.
That discipline is what we ask of ourselves at Simple Liberty. We believe the common good is threatened today by the corruption of Elites - the powerful and the privileged - who bend our laws and institutions to their own advantage.
Throughout history - in America and around the world - the warning is clear: Where corruption and concentrated power go unchallenged, it is ordinary citizens who lose their freedoms. That is why the Simple Liberty movement matters now, for all of us.
We mean to confront and stop the growing corruption and Elite domination, as the Birmingham movement confronted injustice: Peacefully, truthfully, and without hatred, no matter how our opponents behave.
Dr. King and his movement taught us how to respond courageously, wisely, and effectively. Self-defense is always an acceptable response to physical threat. For everything else, we defer to professional law enforcement and the military - the institutions established to maintain order and protect citizens.
Thank you, Dr. King, the SCLC of your time, and every person who lived out this commitment.
We can do this.
The Pledge
“I hereby pledge myself - my person and body - to the nonviolent movement. Therefore, I will keep the following ten commandments.”
Meditate daily on the teachings and life of Jesus.
Remember always that the nonviolent movement in Birmingham seeks justice and reconciliation - not victory.
Walk and talk in the manner of love, for God is love.
Pray daily to be used by God in order that all men might be free.
Sacrifice personal wishes in order that all men might be free.
Observe with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy.
Seek to perform regular service for others and for the world.
Refrain from the violence of fist, tongue, or heart.
Strive to be in good spiritual and bodily health.
Follow the directions of the movement and of the captain on a demonstration.
“I sign this pledge, having seriously considered what I do and with the determination and will to persevere.”
The original Commitment Card was printed by the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights, the Birmingham affiliate of the SCLC; Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth, President.
We considered many reflections on Dr. Martin Luther King’s 10 Commandments for the Civil Rights Movement. However, we were inspired most by this one (thank you!) - https://www.whitefeatherproject.net/
Who is this for
The Birmingham movement was rooted in the Black church, and this pledge reflects that faith openly.
We present it unchanged as a standard for our Members. At Simple Liberty, you do not have to be a Christian to share its discipline.
Like our nation’s founders who built on a common moral foundation, we welcome Americans of every belief who will live by these principles - courtesy toward friend and foe, service to others, gratitude for our blessings, responsible stewardship, and the resolve to defend clear boundaries of fairness, rights, and peace.
This shared moral ground is a cornerstone of what unites us - not a religious test.