On the anniversary of MLK’s assassination: what does Vietnam have to do with it?

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“A time comes when silence is betrayal.”mlk

These words, uttered by Martin Luther King, Jr. 43 years ago today, are part of the first paragraph of his now famous speech, “Beyond Vietnam.” Perhaps his most controversial speech, this is the speech that he gave exactly one year before his death, wherein he came out definitively against the Vietnam war — pitting himself against not only government leaders and the war-supporting public, but some of his own supporters, as well.

In remembrance of the courage and conviction of MLK, a man who could not keep silent, on this 42nd anniversary of the day of his assassination we are sharing some links to new PBS-sponsored material about “Beyond Vietnam,” and the last year of MLK’s life.

And if after all of that, you have any doubt that “Beyond Vietnam” is relevant in today’s world, check out the following YouTube Video created for the 40th anniversary of the speech:

Final thoughts:

“A time comes when silence is betrayal.” Why is this? How can it be true? Because silence in the face of violence is tantamount to supporting it. This is a basic tenet of nonviolence, which considers inaction in the face of injustice to be little better than giving one’s consent. Nonviolence is not passivity; rather, it requires that one stand up courageously against the unjust law, the unjust policy, the unjust act. MLK knew this to be true, and therefore, while he also knew that his views might be unpopular or even vilified, he could not in good conscience remain silent on the issue of Vietnam.
 
Thus, the spirit behind this speech may be one of the most courageous examples of principled nonviolence in American history.
 
Thank you, PBS, for keeping the story of Martin Luther King Jr. alive, and helping to remind us of his relevance to today’s world.
 
May we ALL refuse to be silent.