The city of Birmingham, Alabama, is the focus of the events described in this essay. Located in the South and home to Bull Connor, the segregationist public safety commissioner, Birmingham represents the racism of the South. King also represents Birmingham as a place where African-Americans have engaged in nonviolent direct action to achieve greater freedom. Birmingham thus also serves as a symbol for the commitment of African-Americans to the struggle for freedom even in the face of violent opposition.

While African-Americans frequently encounter racial injustice in jails, specifically, and the criminal justice system in general, in “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” King represents that jail as a space in which faith is tested by the power structure. King traces this perspective on incarceration all the way back to early Christians, who were persecuted in the Roman world.