Dr Martin L. King Jr. and Rev. Ralph Abernathy were arrested in Birmingham, Alabama, on April 12, 1963, for leading an anti-segregation protest march in defiance of a recent injunction from a State judge banning all anti-segregation protests.
Dr. King and Rev. Abernathy spent eight days in jail before being released. Dr King wrote his well known, “Letter from Birmingham" while in jail.
Dr. King and Rev. Abernathy were later prosecuted and were convicted of contempt of court, on April 26, 1063. Failing appeal, they returned to Birmingham on October 30, 1967, and served a five-day jail sentence. Supporters protested outside of the Birmingham's jail for the duration of their incarceration.
