Beyond Vietnam / A Time to Break Silence

Background

On April 4, 1967, exactly one year before his assassination, Dr. Martin Luther King gave his first major public address on the War in Vietnam at a meeting of Clergy and Laity Concerned at Riverside Church in New York City. In that address he articulated his reasons for his opposition to the Southeast Asian conflict.

In this speech, Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke out harshly against the war in Vietnam. His speech "Beyond Vietnam" was condemned by many civil rights leaders who thought it hurt their cause. It incensed President Lyndon Johnson, who revoked King's invitation to the White House. "The calling to speak is often a vocation of agony, but we must speak," said King. "We must speak with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision, but we must speak."

Commentaries

Full text and audio of the Beyond Vietnam speech:

Read and listen in full at http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/documentsentry/doc_beyond_vietnam/