March 2024
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. giving a speech
Dear friends,
Sometimes words can be so powerful that they have great relevance decades after they were spoken. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his speech, “Beyond Vietnam: Time to Break the Silence,” on April 4, 1967— exactly a year before he was killed—to a crowd of over 3,000 gathered in the cavernous neo-gothic nave of the Riverside Church in New York City. In his speech, he sought to “break the betrayal of my own silences” and firmly declared his opposition to the growing Vietnam War. At the time, the anti-war movement was still relatively small and most mainstream politicians and institutions fully backed the U.S. involvement in the war. In the days following his speech, 168 newspapers across the country—including The New York Times and The Washington Post—condemned his speech, and even Dr. King’s key ally, the NAACP, criticized it. Though there was backlash, his speech and actions likely helped to grow the anti-war movement. Like so much of Dr. King’s actions, the ‘Beyond Vietnam’ speech offers numerous lessons for making a better world possible. I’ll offer two of those lessons here.
First, Dr. King strategized how to have an impact with the speech. He consulted with advisors to select the right setting, audience, and message to be the most persuasive to decision-makers and the broader public. He delivered his speech to a group called Clergy and Laymen Concerned about Vietnam who had already released a statement condemning the war. He didn’t operate as a soloist, he joined and amplified a growing anti-war chorus. He and his team believed that his message would be heard and received by a broader range of politicians and the public if delivered at a church to a group of religious folks rather than delivered at a protest. Dr. King understood well that his goal was not to be cheered on by those who already were on his side, but rather to draw new people to the anti-war movement. As a practitioner of non-violence, opposition to the war seemed an obvious position for Dr. King. But, he also knew that to have maximal impact, he had to be thoughtful, collaborative, and strategic about how he voiced his opposition to U.S. involvement in the war.
Second, he invited people to join him by emphasizing the values of the world he wanted to create, rather than simply focusing on his opposition to U.S. aggression in Vietnam. He argued for a “true revolution of values'' that will “look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth” and “the pursuit of peace will take precedence over the pursuit of war.” Dr. King said in his speech:
“We as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.”
The words step back slightly from the specific issue of the Vietnam War and stake a position on the world we need to build. And this declaration of values, rather than mere opposition, is a powerful way to help galvanize and invite people into a movement for equity and justice. It’s hard to argue against a ‘person-oriented society.’
The lessons from Dr. King’s speech are numerous for those of us who want to make a better world possible. His powerful words are still swimming in my thoughts weeks after recently listening to this speech because of the many direct connections to the issues we face today. So, how can we use our voices strategically to invite people to join us in making a better world possible?
Take care and invite people into your cause,
Paul
Today’s Key Point:
We can make a better world possible when we invite people into our cause by using our voices strategically and speaking to the values of the world we want to build.
Today’s Reflection Questions:
How can you invite someone into your cause? What type of language would you use? What approach?
Think of a time when you changed your mind about something. How were you convinced?
What group of people is already leading the change you want to see in the world? How can you join their chorus and amplify their sound?
What values drive your advocacy?
Tool/resource for action:
The Berkeley Media Studies Group, a group that provides guidance and resources to help people make their voices heard, has created a resource called: ‘Layers of Strategy: A framework to guide your advocacy efforts and help you go the last mile.’ They provide key questions to help guide your strategy, including:
Overall strategy
Media strategy
Message strategy
Access strategy