MLK Event: "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence"

Wednesday January 14
7 PM
Community reading of Dr. Martin Luther King's Riverside Church speech of April 4, 1967 "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence" at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 2672 E. Alluvial Ave. Clovis, CA 93611 (Between Chestnut and Willow).

Co-sponsored by the Interfaith Social Justice Collaborative, Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno and the UU Social Justice Coordinating Committee Remembering Dr. King as the Revolutionary Humanitarian He Was "A genuine revolution of values means in the final analysis that our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Every nation must now develop an overriding loyalty to mankind as a whole in order to preserve the best in their individual societies" ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr ~

"Nearly forty one years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King gave his speech "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence." It was April 4, 1967, a year to the day before he was murdered. He was speaking at the Riverside Church in New York. King billed the speech as a ‘declaration of independence from the war' and called the United States ‘the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today.' Time magazine called the speech ‘demagogic slander that sounded like a script for Radio Hanoi.' And the Washington Post declared that King had ‘diminished his usefulness to his cause, his country, his people.'" ~ Juan Williams ~

As a new President and new Congress take office in January 2009, we have an unprecedented opportunity to come together to reflect on our history and our future. We invite the community to join in reading and discussing this remarkable and challenging speech, and to affirm our commitment to work together to realize Dr. King's vision. More information: Connie Young at cyoungrn [at] sbcglobal.net or the Unitarian Universalist Church. Child care: Please call the church by Wednesday, January 7, 2009 to request child care.