Martin Luther KingA Time to Break Silence.docx
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Martin Luther KingA Time to Break Silence.docx
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MartinLutherKingATimetoBreakSilence
MartinLutherKing-ATimetoBreakSilence
Mr.Chairman,ladiesandgentlemen,Ineednotpausetosayhowvery
delightedIamtobeheretonight,andhowverydelightedIamtoseeyou
expressingyourconcernabouttheissuesthatwillbediscussedtonightby
turningoutinsuchlargenumbers.IalsowanttosaythatIconsideritagreat
honortosharethisprogramwithDr.Bennett,Dr.Commager,andRabbi
Knowh
Heschel,someofthedistinguishedleadersandpersonalitiesofournation.And
ofcourseit’salwaysgoodtocomebacktoRiversideChurch.Overthelast
TheLo
eightyears,Ihavehadtheprivilegeofpreachingherealmosteveryyearin
thatperiod,anditisalwaysarichandrewardingexperiencetocometothis
greatchurchandthisgreatpulpit.Icometothismagnificenthouseofworshipbegunat
tonightbecausemyconscienceleavesmenootherchoice.Ijoinyouinthishouse
meetingbecauseIamindeepestagreementwiththeaimsandworkoftheendtimew
organizationwhichhasbroughtustogether:
ClergyandLaymenConcerned
aboutVietnam.Therecentstatementsofyourexecutivecommitteearethe
sentimentsofmyownheart,andIfoundmyselfinfullaccordwhenIreaditsIraqCa
openinglines:
"Atimecomeswhensilenceisbetrayal."AndthattimehasVigils
comeforusinrelationtoVietnam.HelpSt
Sensele
Thetruthofthesewordsisbeyonddoubt,butthemissiontowhichtheycallus&Make
isamostdifficultone.Evenwhenpressedbythedemandsofinnertruth,menPresen
donoteasilyassumethetaskofopposingtheirgovernment'spolicy,especially
intimeofwar.Nordoesthehumanspiritmovewithoutgreatdifficultyagainst
alltheapathyofconformistthoughtwithinone'sownbosomandinthe
surroundingworld.Moreover,whentheissuesathandseemasperplexedasVietnam
theyoftendointhecaseofthisdreadfulconflict,wearealwaysonthevergeCollect
ofbeingmesmerizedbyuncertainty;butwemustmoveon.PickYoMemorMilitary
AndsomeofuswhohavealreadybeguntobreakthesilenceofthenighthaveBidTod
foundthatthecallingtospeakisoftenavocationofagony,butwemust
speak.Wemustspeakwithallthehumilitythatisappropriatetoourlimited
vision,butwemustspeak.Andwemustrejoiceaswell,forsurelythisisthe
firsttimeinournation'shistorythatasignificantnumberofitsreligiousVietnam
leadershavechosentomovebeyondtheprophesyingofsmoothpatriotismto
speciathehighgroundsofafirmdissentbaseduponthemandatesofconscienceandaccepts
thereadingofhistory.Perhapsanewspiritisrisingamongus.Ifitis,letusongon
traceitsmovementsandpraythatourowninnerbeingmaybesensitivetoitsUSA.T
guidance,forwearedeeplyinneedofanewwaybeyondthedarknessthat$10,000
seemssoclosearoundus.
Overthepasttwoyears,asIhavemovedtobreakthebetrayalofmyown
silencesandtospeakfromtheburningsofmyownheart,asIhavecalledfor
radicaldeparturesfromthedestructionofVietnam,manypersonshave
questionedmeaboutthewisdomofmypath.Attheheartoftheirconcernsthis
queryhasoftenloomedlargeandloud:
"Whyareyouspeakingaboutthewar,
Dr.King?
""Whyareyoujoiningthevoicesofdissent?
""Peaceandcivilrights
don'tmix,"theysay."Aren'tyouhurtingthecauseofyourpeople,"theyask?
AndwhenIhearthem,thoughIoftenunderstandthesourceoftheirconcern,I
amneverthelessgreatlysaddened,forsuchquestionsmeanthattheinquirers
havenotreallyknownme,mycommitmentormycalling.Indeed,their
questionssuggestthattheydonotknowtheworldinwhichtheylive.
Inthelightofsuchtragicmisunderstanding,Ideemitofsignalimportanceto
trytostateclearly,andItrustconcisely,whyIbelievethatthepathfrom
DexterAvenueBaptistChurch--thechurchinMontgomery,Alabama,whereI
beganmypastorate--leadsclearlytothissanctuarytonight.
Icometothisplatformtonighttomakeapassionatepleatomybeloved
nation.ThisspeechisnotaddressedtoHanoiortotheNationalLiberation
Front.ItisnotaddressedtoChinaortoRussia.Norisitanattempttooverlook
theambiguityofthetotalsituationandtheneedforacollectivesolutiontothe
tragedyofVietnam.NeitherisitanattempttomakeNorthVietnamorthe
NationalLiberationFrontparagonsofvirtue,nortooverlooktheroletheymust
playinthesuccessfulresolutionoftheproblem.Whiletheybothmayhave
justifiablereasonstobesuspiciousofthegoodfaithoftheUnitedStates,life
andhistorygiveeloquenttestimonytothefactthatconflictsareneverresolved
withouttrustfulgiveandtakeonbothsides.
Tonight,however,IwishnottospeakwithHanoiandtheNationalLiberation
Front,butrathertomyfellowed[sic]Americans,*who,withme,bearthe
greatestresponsibilityinendingaconflictthathasexactedaheavypriceon
bothcontinents.
SinceIamapreacherbytrade,IsupposeitisnotsurprisingthatIhaveseven
majorreasonsforbringingVietnamintothefieldofmymoralvision.*Thereis
attheoutsetaveryobviousandalmostfacileconnectionbetweenthewarin
VietnamandthestruggleI,andothers,havebeenwaginginAmerica.Afew
yearsagotherewasashiningmomentinthatstruggle.Itseemedasifthere
wasarealpromiseofhopeforthepoor--bothblackandwhite--throughthe
povertyprogram.Therewereexperiments,hopes,newbeginnings.Thencame
thebuildupinVietnam,andIwatchedthisprogrambrokenandeviscerated,as
ifitweresomeidlepoliticalplaythingofasocietygonemadonwar,andI
knewthatAmericawouldneverinvestthenecessaryfundsorenergiesin
rehabilitationofitspoorsolongasadventureslikeVietnamcontinuedtodraw
menandskillsandmoneylikesomedemonicdestructivesuctiontube.So,I
wasincreasinglycompelledtoseethewarasanenemyofthepoorandto
attackitassuch.
Perhapsthemoretragicrecognitionofrealitytookplacewhenitbecameclear
tomethatthewarwasdoingfarmorethandevastatingthehopesofthepoor
athome.Itwassendingtheirsonsandtheirbrothersandtheirhusbandsto
fightandtodieinextraordinarilyhighproportionsrelativetotherestofthe
population.Weweretakingtheblackyoungmenwhohadbeencrippledbyour
societyandsendingthemeightthousandmilesawaytoguaranteelibertiesin
SoutheastAsiawhichtheyhadnotfoundinsouthwestGeorgiaandEast
Harlem.Andsowehavebeenrepeatedlyfacedwiththecruelironyofwatching
NegroandwhiteboysonTVscreensastheykillanddietogetherforanation
thathasbeenunabletoseatthemtogetherinthesameschools.Andsowe
watchtheminbrutalsolidarityburningthehutsofapoorvillage,butwe
realizethattheywouldhardlyliveonthesameblockinChicago.Icouldnotbe
silentinthefaceofsuchcruelmanipulationofthepoor.
Mythirdreasonmovestoanevendeeperlevelofawareness,foritgrowsout
ofmyexperienceintheghettoesoftheNorthoverthelastthreeyears--
especiallythelastthreesummers.AsIhavewalkedamongthedesperate,
rejected,andangryyoungmen,IhavetoldthemthatMolotovcocktailsand
rifleswouldnotsolvetheirproblems.Ihavetriedtoofferthemmydeepest
compassionwhilemaintainingmyconvictionthatsocialchangecomesmost
meaningfullythroughnonviolentaction.Buttheyask--andrightlyso--what
aboutVietnam?
Theyaskifourownnationwasn'tusingmassivedosesof
violencetosolveitsproblems,tobringaboutthechangesitwanted.Their
questionshithome,andIknewthatIcouldneveragainraisemyvoiceagainst
theviolenceoftheoppressedintheghettoswithouthavingfirstspokenclearly
tothegreatestpurveyorofviolenceintheworldtoday--myowngovernment.
Forthesakeofthoseboys,forthesakeofthisgovernment,forthesakeofthe
hundredsofthousandstremblingunderourviolence,Icannotbesilent.
Forthosewhoaskthequestion,"Aren'tyouacivilrightsleader?
"andthereby
meantoexcludemefromthemovementforpeace,Ihavethisfurtheranswer.
In1957whenagroupofusformedtheSouthernChristianLeadership
Conference,wechoseasourmotto:
"TosavethesoulofAmerica."Wewere
convincedthatwecouldnotlimitourvisiontocertainrightsforblackpeople,
butinsteadaffirmedtheconvictionthatAmericawouldneverbefreeorsaved
fromitselfuntilthedescendantsofitsslaveswereloosedcompletelyfromthe
shacklestheystillwear.InawaywewereagreeingwithLangstonHughes,that
blackbardofHarlem,whohadwrittenearlier:
O,yes,Isayitplain,AmericaneverwasAmericatome,AndyetIswearthisoath--
Americawillbe!
Now,itshouldbeincandescentlyclearthatnoonewhohasanyconcernforthe
integrityandlifeofAmericatodaycanignorethepresentwar.IfAmerica'ssoul
becomestotallypoisoned,partoftheautopsymustread:
Vietnam.Itcan
neverbesavedsolongasitdestroysthedeepesthopesofmentheworldover.
SoitisthatthoseofuswhoareyetdeterminedthatAmericawillbeareled
downthepathofprotestanddissent,workingforthehealthofourland.
AsiftheweightofsuchacommitmenttothelifeandhealthofAmericawere
notenough,anotherburdenofresponsibilitywasplaceduponmein1954**
[sic];andIcannotforgetthattheNobelPrizeforPeacewasalsoacommission
--acommissiontoworkharderthanIhadeverworkedbeforefor"the
brotherhoodofman."Thisisacallingthattakesmebeyondnational
allegiances,butevenifitwerenotpresentIwouldyethavetolivewiththe
mean
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