A tribute to Dr. King......

Every year near Martin Luther King Jr. Day our family watches some of Dr. King’s greatest speeches, such as “I Have a Dream” and “We Shall Overcome.” Each year I have listened and watched carefully, but not until this year did I actually hear what Dr. King was really saying.


Many know of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a reverend and civil right activist. But many people are not aware that Dr. King was one of the biggest critics of the war in Vietnam. Somewhere between the main street media and the government this important part of Dr. King’s life has been forgotten. School children learn about Dr. King’s many civil rights speeches such as “I Have a Dream,” but they are not taught about his speeches addressing the horrible war of his time. I had not heard “Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam” until this past week.


I was looking through some speeches of Dr. King’s speeches when I came upon “Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam.” On April 4, 1967, exactly one year before Dr. King was assassinated, the speech was delivered during a meeting at Riverside Church in New York City. As I sat listening to the speech I came upon a section that sent chills up and down my spine:

<snip text of Dr. King's speech>

There are good speakers. There are great speakers. But Dr. King is more than that. Dr. King is more than a speaker. He is more than a reverend. He is more than an activist. He is an inspiration. Dr. King is an inspiration to people of all races and nationalities. Listening to his speeches will make a person feel confident, strong, and ready for the challenge ahead of him. After listening to Dr. King it is as if something in your head says “All right. We can do it.” Whether the challenge we are facing is racism, deception, war, or anything else, we can face it together. When I listened to “Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam” I realized that Dr. King’s speech wasn’t just about the Vietnam War, it was about people uniting for peace, justice, and humanity. With the speeches he left behind Martin Luther King Jr. still speaks to us today.



The spirit of Dr. King lives on in all of us.
It is up to us to listen and "Take a stand on this issue."