MLK Day 2024: Beyond Vietnam

Photo: Marion S. Trikosko, 1964

“...because my conscience leaves me no other choice”

It’s always odd celebrating Martin Luther King Day in a country that would’ve hated the man had he survived the balcony at the Lorraine Motel. This year, I choose to commemorate the King who was courageous enough to step into a conflict that both his allies and enemies alike thought he had no business stepping into; namely, his opposition to the United States’ ongoing war of aggression in Vietnam. In particular, what would become his landmark speech on the matter, his April 4, 1967 speech at Riverside Church in Harlem, “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence.”

Everyone was pissed. According to a PBS documentary on the speech, 168 newspapers across the country denounced King. One New York Times op-ed published days later, subtly titled “Dr. King’s Error,” argued that the war effort was wholly irrelevant to the struggle for civil rights. President Lyndon Johnson rescinded an invitation to the White House. King’s opposition to the war also significantly contributed to his unpopularity at the time of his death. He never enjoyed the support of the majority of white Americans, but by 1966, Gallup found that 63 percent of Americans had a negative view of King, and a 1968 Harris poll found that 75 percent of Americans disapproved of him.

Members of King’s inner circle were wary of alienating President Johnson who had been, however reluctantly, an ally in Washington. After all, American support for the war hung in the balance. Two Gallup polls conducted in the months before and after King’s speech found the country evenly split on the following question: “In view of developments since we entered the fighting in Vietnam, do you think the U.S. made a mistake sending troops to fight in Vietnam?” The voice of King and other prominent faith leaders was needed to tip the scales in favor of the anti-war movement – or maintain the status quo.

In the end, King was right—and his open opposition to that war helped turn the tide against it nationally. We find ourselves in a similar situation today. As Israel uses U.S. weapons and protection to carry out ethnic cleansing in Gaza, I hope that we can celebrate King’s memory with honesty rather than platitudes. Politicians who continue to fuel the American war machine—including its proxies around the globe—will drone on and on about King’s legacy without a hint of shame. I’ll do my best to tune them out and return to King at his best: unequivocally on the side of the oppressed. 

Click here to listen to the recording of “Beyond Vietnam” captured that night at Riverside Church or to read the full text of the speech.

In solidarity,

Dwayne