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Primary sourceSpeech4 April 1967

Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence

Martin Luther King Jr. · 4 April 1967

King's 1967 speech at Riverside Church, breaking with the Johnson administration by linking the Vietnam War to poverty and racism.

Shows King broadening his activism from civil rights to war and poverty, a turning point in his public life.

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About this source

What it is

This is a speech delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1967, at Riverside Church in New York City, exactly one year before his assassination.

Why it matters

King publicly opposed the Vietnam War, arguing that it drained money and attention from programs meant to fight poverty at home. He connected war, poverty and racism as linked problems, a stance that cost him support among allies, including the President, and brought strong criticism from the press.

Look closer

  • Why might some of King's allies have thought this speech was risky for him to give?
  • How does connecting the war to poverty and racism change the way you think about King's civil rights work?
  • Why do you think the speech was controversial even among people who supported civil rights?

This speech is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Martin Luther King Jr. on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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