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Someone slipped me a newspaper in which white religious leaders had written an article calling us lawbreakers.

Someone then snuck me a pen.

In that jail cell, I wrote my own response in the margins of the newspaper, and even on toilet paper.

My letter from Birmingham Jail was soon published as a pamphlet.

Then it was in magazines and newspapers.

Today, it has been read by millions of people.

Like I said, it is amazing how big words can be.

Our message was so important, even kids your age joined us.

In Birmingham, during the Children's Crusade, more than 1,000 kids, some as young as six years old, showed up to march.

What do you want?

Freedom!

The first day, the police arrested 900 of them.

The next day, 2,500 children showed up, ready to go to jail.

This was our finest hour.

Enraged that we were not giving up, the chief of police told the firemen to spray the children with water hoses and attack them with dogs.

They thought it would stop us, but instead, as the whole country watched on TV what they were doing to our children, it was a wake-up call for the nation's conscience.

How can they treat little kids like that?

That's not right.

We need to help them.

Ninety days later, the rules began to change.