Saori continues:
The Civil Rights Bill was passed by President Kennedy in 1964. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream became a reality when the 'Whites Only' signs were taken down in the South. However, this victory did not come at a small price. There were violent reprisals. Police attacked black marchers with tear gas and clubs. King, himself, was arrested a total of 16 times. A letter he wrote from the Birmingham Jail read:
'Abused and scorned though we may be, our destiny is tied up with America's destiny. Before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth, we were here. Before the pen of Jefferson etched the majestic words of the Declaration of Independence across the pages of history, we were here. For more than two centuries our forebears labored in this country without wages. If the inexpressible cruelties of slavery could not stop us, the oppression we now face will surely fail.' (Downing, 32)
He would not stop! His hotel room and his brother's house were bombed. He would not stop. On Sept. 20th, 1958, when King was signing copies of his book titled, Stride Toward Freedom, a middle-aged African-American woman approached him asking if his name was King. As he answered, she thrust a razor-sharp letter opener into his chest, narrowly missing his heart's main artery. 'If King had sneezed, he would probably have bled to death.' (Downing, 25) However he would not stop! Each day, he would receive as many as 40 hate letters. He would not stop! Around 9:30 p.m. on January 30th, 1956, a bomb was tossed into his home. Fortunately, no one was hurt. He would not stop! The Ku Klux Klan threatened him and his family. In raging storms of violence they beat and murdered black protesters and threw a bundle of dynamite through the window of a black church, killing four small black girls. Then, they burned to death four blacks as police stood and watched. But still Martin Luther King, Jr. continued to lead a peaceful civil rights campaign. His unbreakable spirit set an example for all of his followers and filled them with hope. He was heard saying, 'Remember, if I am stopped, this movement will not be stopped.' (Rappaport, 20)