MLK at Riverside Church: Beyond Vietnam

This is a special Martin Luther King day: fifty years ago this March he was tragically assassinated. While King is remembered most as an activist who championed civil rights for fellow blacks, his remit was even bigger: a human rights and a peace activist, a man who wanted not only rights but also peace and human dignity for all. He saw the world with compassion mixed with clarity and logic.

In 1967, less than a year before he died, King gave this speech here in NYC called "Beyond Vietnam." A supporter of then President Lyndon Johnson (particularly in the 1964 election) who had been responsible for the Civil Rights Act, King broke with Johnson and support for the war. King saw, clearly as always, that this war a mistake and, as always, he had the courage to say so, even at the risk of alienating the president. This was one the most consequential speeches of King's career, and it turned out to be one of his last. On this MLK day, his vision and wisdom is more needed than ever.

 

Update: if you want to know more about Martin Luther King's relationship to NYC, there's a photo exhibit all about it at the Museum of the City of New York.