Since I am a preacher by calling, I suppose it is not surprising that I have seven major reasons for bringing Vietnam into the field of my moral vision. xc```b``9Y `6+ *i`x!fw[ TC82U |])KXl[T7R)UbpE0q@e8.;c q8, e0+EN328v`8 00~QAI[ksz#Jw;`t!>8#oB;|;!V QM Harding recalled in an interview with Tavis Smiley, Free at Last: Martin Luther King Jr. (streaming on THIRTEEN Specials). Tragically, half a century after "Beyond Vietnam," America is still the greatest purveyor of violence in the world, and the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism . Being one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, Vietnam becomes a strategic place for many foreign entrepreneurs to invest. %PDF-1.5 Violence of the US government - How can we criticize violence abroad when our own After 1954 they watched us conspire with Diem to prevent elections which could have surely brought Ho Chi Minh to power over a united Vietnam, and they realized they had been betrayed again. Now, it should be incandescently clear that no one who has any concern for the integrity and life of America today can ignore the present war. The United States got involved in the Vietnam War because they wanted to stop the spread of communism. We were taking the black young men who had been crippled by our society and sending them eight thousand miles away to guarantee liberties in Southeast Asia which they had not found in southwest Georgia and East Harlem. The actual speech begins at 1:41 in the recording. Not only were they fighting for their own rights in 1976, but they were sending away the son, husbands, brothers of other Americans thousands of miles away to the country of Vietnam to fight an unjust war for the rights of the people in Southeast Asia. The speech titled "Beyond Vietnam" is relevant to today's war in Ukraine. A few years ago there was a shining moment in that struggle. Both sides alleged, more or less accurately, that the other side was continuously violating the terms . The speech titled "Beyond Vietnam" is relevant to today's war in Ukraine. They ask if our own nation wasnt using massive doses of violence to solve its problems, to bring about the changes it wanted. or 404 526-8968. On the one hand, we are called to play the Good Samaritan on lifes roadside, but that will be only an initial act. Vietnam's universal health coverage index is at 73higher than regional and global averageswith 87 percent of the population covered. I speak for those whose land is being laid waste, whose homes are being destroyed, whose culture is being subverted. Perhaps a more difficult but no less necessary task is to speak for those who have been designated as our enemies. JFIF C The recent statements of your executive committee are the sentiments of my own heart, and I found myself in full accord when I read its opening lines: A time comes when silence is betrayal. And that time has come for us in relation to Vietnam. This kind of positive revolution of values is our best defense against communism. Students will read Rev. Then came the buildup in Vietnam, and I watched this program broken and eviscerated, as if it were some idle political plaything of a society gone mad on war, and I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic destructive suction tube. Martin Luther King had spoken critically about the Vietnam War before, but it was his blistering Beyond Vietnam speech at an event sponsored by Clergy and Laymen Concerned about Vietnam that gained wide attention. I come to this platform tonight to make a passionate plea to my beloved nation. What must they think of the United States of America when they realize that we permitted the repression and cruelty of Diem, which helped to bring them into being as a resistance group in the South? Have they forgotten that my ministry is in obedience to the One who loved his enemies so fully that he died for them? This speech is not addressed to Hanoi or to the National Liberation Front. King, " The Casualties of the War in Vietnam, " 25 February 1967, CLPAC. 609 Words. . I need not pause to say how very delighted I am to be here tonight, and how very delighted I am to see you expressing your concern about the issues that will be discussed tonight by turning out in such large numbers. We were taking the black young men who had been crippled by our society and sending them eight thousand miles away to guarantee liberties in Southeast Asia which they had not found in southwest Georgia and East Harlem. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. It is curious that the Americans, who calculate so carefully on the possibilities of military victory, do not realize that in the process they are incurring deep psychological and political defeat. North Vietnam's war profoundly divided American citizens, seriously damaged American credibility around the world, and lent moral support to many radical movements in Africa and Latin America. But they ask and rightly so what about Vietnam? In Dr. Martin Luther King's speech "Beyond VietnamA Time to Break Silence" (1967), Dr. King asserts that the war in Vietnam is totally immoral and has far reaching negative implications not only for Vietnam, but for The United States and the rest of the World as well. Recent flashpoints. Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own. Regarding choosing Beyond Vietnam for the title when the country was deep in the middle of the war, Harding recalled in an interview with Tavis Smiley, this is more than a simple case of getting out of Vietnam. These are the times for real choices and not false ones. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who embraced nonviolence to combat the country's most violent segregationists. I heard him speak so many times. Freedom is still the bonus we receive for knowing the truth. Rationalizations and the incessant search for scapegoats are the psychological cataracts that blind us to our sins. ZIP FILE INCLUDES: 4 page worksheet with MLK's "Beyond Vietnam" Speech (PDF)Worksheet Answer KeyTeacher directions with ideas for useCHECK OUT THE . Dr. King choose to speak out against the war in Vietnam? Credibility gap is a term that came into wide use with journalism, political and public discourse in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. King, Martin Luther Jr. "Declaration of Independence from the War in Vietnam." In Editors of Ramparts with Banning Garrett and Katherine Barkley (Eds.) Two, Three.Many Vietnam's: A Radical Reader on the Wars in Southeast Asia and the Conflicts at Home. King, Interview on Face the Nation, 29 August 1965, RRML-TxTyU. There is at the outset a very obvious and almost facile connection between the war in Vietnam and the struggle I, and others, have been waging in America. My third reason moves to an even deeper level of awareness, for it grows out of my experience in the ghettoes of the North over the last three years especially the last three summers. And if we will only make the right choice, we will be able to transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of peace. The truth of these words is beyond doubt, but the mission to which they call us is a most difficult one. However, all was not well on the ground: the country lost a Navy intelligence ship (USS Pueblo) and two Even though they quoted the American Declaration of Independence in their own document of freedom, we refused to recognize them. Surely we must see that our own computerized plans of destruction simply dwarf their greatest acts. King gave his most famous speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963 to a crowd of more than 250,000 people . Dr. In Dr. Martin Luther King's speech "Beyond VietnamA Time to Break Silence" (1967), Dr. King asserts that the war in Vietnam is totally immoral and has far reaching negative implications not only for Vietnam, but for The United States and the rest of the World as well. If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight. There were experiments, hopes, new beginnings. Kings Error,New York Times, 7 April 1967. Martin Luther King uses persuasive argument in his speeches. By that time the communists and South Vietnamese were already engaged in what journalists labeled the "postwar war.". And every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. Let us not join those who shout war and, through their misguided passions, urge the United States to relinquish its participation in the United Nations. Life expectancy rose from 70.5 to 75.5 years between 1990 and 2020. U.S.-Vietnam Trade Bilateral Agreement (US-BTA) was signed in . !S4@'rS[c5TcZ,Ay -\t[ mMIf$s958! aoOyeV_5i#>Z:ShY| x_5i,e*q}iaI$r99SE^gBvDO9 U{-gp=95TF*v*:[lrS;Gqk$>T.mO-+[hGoW sTr".[Z>?n{ 6(|oZQ{=+KND|=OU,QW_#n^iya46/u2H-j= At the time, civil rights leaders publicly condemned him for it. So we have been repeatedly faced with the cruel irony of watching Negro and white boys on TV screens as they kill and die together for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same schools. We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. I speak now not of the soldiers of each side, not of the ideologies of the Liberation Front, not of the junta in Saigon, but simply of the people who have been living under the curse of war for almost three continuous decades now. As that noble bard of yesterday, James Russell Lowell, eloquently stated: Once to every man and nation comes a moment to decide, For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition. There is at the outset a very obvious and . Somehow this madness must cease. It is with such activity in mind that the words of the late John F. Kennedy come back to haunt us. Beyond the calling of race or nation or creed is this vocation of sonship and brotherhood, and because I believe that the Father is deeply concerned especially for his suffering and helpless and outcast children, I come tonight to speak for them. 53 0 obj @ !V*k*im+R{Q\4b^`j+j/A8U&|NB% []Tw7L ;muR`o|?h:07o"PI'}x~@U&|NB% []Tw7L ;muR`o|?h:07o"PI'}x~@U&|NB% []Tw7L ;muR`o|?h:07o"PI'}x~@U&|NB% []Tw7L ;muR`o|?h:07o"PI'}x~@U&|NB% []Tw7L ;muR`o|?h:07o"PI'}x~@U&|NB% []Tw7L ;muR`o|?h:07o"PI'}x~@U&|NB% []Tw7L ;muR`o|?h:07o"PI'}x~@U&|NB% []Tw7L ;muR`o|?h:07o"PI'}x~@U&|NB% []Tw7L ;muR`o|?h:07o"PI'}x~@U&|NB% []Tw7L ;muR`o|?h:07o"PI'}x~@U&|NB% []Tw7L ;muR`o|?h:07o"PI'}x~@U&|NB% []Tw7L ;muR`o|?h:07o"PI'}x~@U&|NB% []Tw7L ;muR`o|?h:07o"PI'}x~@U&|NB% []Tw7L ;muR`o|?h:07o"PI'}x~@U&|NB% []Tw7L ;muR`o|?h:07o"PI'}x~@U&|NB% []Tw7L ;muR`o|?h:07o"PI'}x~@U&|NB% []Tw7L ;muR`o|?h:07o"PI'}x~@U&|NB% []Tw7L ;muR`o|?h:07o"PI'}x~@U&|NB% []Tw7L ;muR`o|?h:07o"PI'}x~@U&|NB% []Tw7L ;muR`o|?h:07o"PI'}x~@U&|NB% []Tw7L ;muR`o|?h:07o"PI'}x~@U&|NB% []Tw7L ;muR`o|?h:07o"PI'}x~@U&|NB% []Tw7L ;muR`o|?h:07o"PI'}x~@U&|NB% []Tw7L ;wap~#65UXG9tMU G^> `j+j/A9~NT de#(~y{Jtp m`j+j/A8P qGqe#(~ b_mE@ VYVQov:j}\z8M?tiiibEkF5Qup6cbczB9 uUa Similarly, both the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and Ralph Bunche accused King of linking two disparate issues, Vietnam and civil rights. Good or bad, the US was afraid that communism would spread to South Vietnam and then the rest of Asia. The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., is a civil rights legend. There is nothing to keep us from molding a recalcitrant status quo with bruised hands until we have fashioned it into a brotherhood. As we counsel young men concerning military service, we must clarify for them our nations role in Vietnam and challenge them with the alternative of conscientious objection. Could we blame them for such thoughts? Photo: Ad Meskens. Martin Luther King April 4, 1967 Riverside Church, New York City MLK: Beyond Vietnam - A Time to Break Silence The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change 251K views 7 years ago William Pepper - The Execution of Martin Luther King. This I believe to be the privilege and the burden of all of us who deem ourselves bound by allegiances and loyalties which are broader and deeper than nationalism and which go beyond our nations self-defined goals and positions. It seemed as if there was a real promise of hope for the poor both black and white through the poverty program. stream Five: Set a date that we will remove all foreign troops from Vietnam in accordance with the 1954 Geneva Agreement. So it is that those of us who are yet determined that America will be are are led down the path of protest and dissent, working for the health of our land. And as I ponder the madness of Vietnam and search within myself for ways to understand and respond in compassion, my mind goes constantly to the people of that peninsula. We must find new ways to speak for peace in Vietnam and justice throughout the developing world, a world that borders on our doors. At the heart of their concerns this query has often loomed large and loud: Why are you speaking about the war, Dr. King? Why are you joining the voices of dissent? Peace and civil rights dont mix, they say. They were led by Ho Chi Minh. What must they be thinking when they know that we are aware of their control of major sections of Vietnam, and yet we appear ready to allow national elections in which this highly organized political parallel government will not have a part? We can no longer afford to worship the god of hate or bow before the altar of retaliation. We must be prepared to match actions with words by seeking out every creative method of protest possible. We have corrupted their women and children and killed their men. << /Contents 62 0 R /MediaBox [ 0 0 612 792 ] /Parent 115 0 R /Resources << /ExtGState << /G3 75 0 R >> /Font << /F4 76 0 R /F5 77 0 R /F6 78 0 R /F7 79 0 R /F9 80 0 R >> /ProcSet [ /PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI ] /XObject << /X10 57 0 R /X12 59 0 R /X14 61 0 R /X8 56 0 R >> >> /StructParents 0 /Type /Page >> They see the children degraded by our soldiers as they beg for food. A year to the day before his assassination, Martin Luther King publicly and decisively denounced not only the US war in Vietnam but the militarism that enabled the war and undermined American society. On 4 April 1967 Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his seminal speech at Riverside Church condemning the Vietnam War. And finally, as I try to explain for you and for myself the road that leads from Montgomery to this place I would have offered all that was most valid if I simply said that I must be true to my conviction that I share with all men the calling to be a son of the living God. Procrastination is still the thief of time. We must speak with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision, but we must speak. Surely we must understand their feelings, even if we do not condone their actions. He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us. Let us hope that this spirit will become the order of the day. I speak of the for the poor of America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home, and death and corruption in Vietnam. Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305. Mandy Jackson A Time to Break Silence On April 4,1967, in Riverside Church, New York City Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers a speech called Beyond Vietnam He initiates, "War is not the answer. A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth. xcbd`g`b``8 "Y& D2 IF>E0y6DrLb`] R3XM-c |)f&!ME In the speech at Riverside Church, King talked about how the US had supported France in trying to re-colonize . The immediate response to Kings speech was largely negative. In a version of theTransformed Nonconformistsermon given in January 1966 at Ebenezer Baptist Church, King voiced his own opposition to the Vietnam War, describing American aggression as a violation of the 1954 Geneva Accord that promised self-determination. What then can I say to the Vietcong or to Castro or to Mao as a faithful minister of this One? Even before the French were defeated at Dien Bien Phu, they began to despair of their reckless action, but we did not. In the light of such tragic misunderstanding, I deem it of signal importance to try to state clearly, and I trust concisely, why I believe that the path from Dexter Avenue Baptist Church the church in Montgomery, Alabama, where I began my pastorate leads clearly to this sanctuary tonight. They must see Americans as strange liberators. The U.S. became polarized between those who advocated continued involvement in Vietnam and those who wanted peace. A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies. Martin Luther King Beyond Vietnam. We are adding cynicism to the process of death, for they must know after a short period there that none of the things we claim to be fighting for are really involved. Table of Content. Exactly a year later, King was assassinated. MLK: Beyond Vietnam to Ukraine. And so we have been repeatedly faced with the cruel irony of watching Negro and white boys on TV screens as they kill and die together for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same schools. For 7 reasons: 1. In 1967, however, Beyond Vietnam ignited an uproar. America, the richest and most powerful nation in the world, can well lead the way in this revolution of values. King followed with an historical sketch outlining Vietnams devastation at the hands ofdeadly Western arrogance,noting,we are on the side of the wealthy, and the secure, while we create a hell for the poor(King,Beyond Vietnam,146; 153). 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. We still have a choice today: nonviolent coexistence or violent coannihilation. Hanoi remembers how our leaders refused to tell us the truth about the earlier North Vietnamese overtures for peace, how the president claimed that none existed when they had clearly been made. I could not be silent in the face of such cruel manipulation of the poor. stream Vietnam's Amended Constitution 1992 recognized the role of private sector in the economy. This speech was released by Black Foru. Here's the essay I wrote in the video: In the speech "Beyond Vietnam - A Time to Break Silence," Dr. Rev. These are revolutionary times. by Rick Sterling January 16, 2023. In the end, Vietnamese communism stopped short of exporting revolution beyond Indochina because its radical character had created enemies . And some of us who have already begun to break the silence of the night have found that the calling to speak is often a vocation of agony, but we must speak. 3. endobj The oceans of history are made turbulent by the ever-rising tides of hate. When Diem was overthrown they may have been happy, but the long line of military dictators seemed to offer no real change, especially in terms of their need for land and peace. King,Beyond Vietnam,4 April 1967, NNRC. And they are surely right to wonder what kind of new government we plan to help form without them, the only party in real touch with the peasants. Delivered in New York at the height of the Vietnam War in 1967, "Beyond Vietnam" is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s powerful call to America to end the Vietnam War, as well as to change the. For nine years following 1945 we denied the people of Vietnam the right of independence. 1. punished the poor. So far we may have killed a million of them, mostly children. What of the National Liberation Front, that strangely anonymous group we call VC or communists?