King faced criticism for being in Birmingham as an outsider. Explain this criticism, and his response to it.

King faced criticism because there were those who believed he was working outside of his boundaries when he went to Birmingham to protest. King answers the criticism by clarifying his position in the SCLC, which operated widely in the South. He also explains that an affiliate of the SCLC invited them to “engage in a nonviolent direct-action program” because racial issues were growing difficult.