Monday, January 19, 2009

Martin Luther King, Jr.: "Beyond Vietnam"


In heartfelt gratitude and honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., "Beyond Vietnam", which was given exactly one year to the date before the death of this great and visionary man, to whom we all owe so much. Each year since first hearing this profound speech, I have been moved to share it again... and again. It's relevance to today cannot be understated. Or it's vision and hope........

Peace ~ Molly

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Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence
By Rev. Martin Luther King
4 April 1967

Speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on April 4, 1967, at a meeting of Clergy and Laity Concerned at Riverside Church in New York City.

For audio and transcript, please go here:

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Now let us begin. Now let us rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter -- but beautiful -- struggle for a new world. This is the callling of the sons of God, and our brothers wait eagerly for our response. Shall we say the odds are too great? Shall we tell them the struggle is too hard? Will our message be that the forces of American life militate against their arrival as full men, and we send our deepest regrets? Or will there be another message, of longing, of hope, of solidarity with their yearnings, of commitment to their cause, whatever the cost? The choice is ours, and though we might prefer it otherwise we must choose in this crucial moment of human history.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Quoted from "Beyond Vietnam"

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