Dear reader,
In my book, Necessary Risks: Challenges Privileged People Need to Face, I share the inspiring story behind the speech Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered on April 4, 1967, in New York City. At an assembly of three thousand hosted by an organization called the Clergy and Laymen Concerned about Vietnam, King broke his silence on the Vietnam War.
Before this moment, King had struggled with the decision of whether to speak publicly against the war. He had been sharply criticized for passing comments he’d made that were picked up by the news media, and his own advisors were divided on whether King’s anti-war stance was wise. Some encouraged him to speak. Others told him it would weaken the civil rights movement and distract him from his main work on behalf of Black Americans.
King made up his mind on a January flight to Jamaica, where the civil rights leader intended to get some rest. The January 1967 issue of Ramparts magazine caught his attention. As he got settled for the flight, King picked up the magazine, flipping through its pages until he reached the story “Children of Vietnam.” One photo showed Vietnamese children who had been horrifically burned by American napalm. Another showed a Vietnamese mother holding her dead baby. King was sick. His silence on the war betrayed all he held sacred: his stance on non-violence, his activism against injustice, his call as a preacher of Jesus’ gospel, his commitment to the dignity and worth of every person. He decided to do everything he could to end this war.
The risk King faced in speaking against the Vietnam War cannot be underestimated. King knew the FBI had been tracking his personal life and worried they might incriminate him if he criticized the government. Advisors also warned him that a public anti-war stance would jeopardize his relationship with President Lyndon Johnson and the Civil Rights work they had already accomplished. But King was undeterred. He made his speech, calling on the Johnson administration to halt all bombing in Vietnam and to work toward peace negotiations.
The backlash was quick and condemnatory. Only a few newspapers and magazines supported King. Most of the media portrayed him as irresponsible and irrational, as a leader who had injured his influence and that of the Civil Rights movement. The NAACP announced that King’s merging of the civil rights movement with the peace movement was a tactical mistake. King’s call for peace negotiations to be conducted with the Viet Cong, North and South Korea, the USSR, and China also led to intensified FBI interest in his “communist” sympathies.
On a more personal level, old friends refused to comment on his speech. Others dissociated from King. He was tired, living out of a suitcase, getting four hours of sleep a night. The pressure was intense.
In response to these consequences, King said, “I was politically unwise but morally wise. I think I have a role to play which may be unpopular. I really felt that someone of influence has to say that the United States is wrong, and everybody is afraid to say it.”
“A time comes when silence is betrayal,” King said in his April 4th, 1967 speech against the war in Vietnam. It's important to understand that silence in the face of oppression of any kind is not empty, it is not neutral. It is not non-action. Saying nothing in the face of systemic oppression supports that oppression. As Elie Wiesel said in his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
As I seek ways to encourage courage, I pray to not betray the oppressed, my values, or my God by staying silent in the face of injustice.
Recent writing:
In this lectionary reflection on Psalm 27, I write about finding myself in a spiritually dry season of ministry and how Henri Nouwen’s book The Genesee Diary helped me remember that God is present and ready to be found.
Our January issue of the Presbyterian Outlook magazine focused on quality of life for older adults. In my editorial for this issue I wrote about the “Three Plagues” of nursing home life—boredom, loneliness and helplessness—and how faith communities can help.
Upcoming speaking:
Sunday, January 22: Preaching at Massanutten Presbyterian Church on Isaiah 43:1-7 and the topic of belonging.
Sunday, February 26: Preaching at Second Presbyterian Church in Little Rock, Arkansas.
February 27 -28: Cecil and Ruth Boddie Farmer Guest Chapel Speaker and Lecturer at University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, Arkansas.
Sunday, March 12: Guest speaker for Sunday School at Second Presbyterian Church in Roanoke, Virginia.
Saturday, April 1: Keynote Speaker and Workshop Leader for West Virginia Presbytery’s “Festival of Faith.”
Keynote: Embracing a Love Ethic: In these divisive, polarized days of “purple” churches, listening well, embracing humility and encouraging vulnerability in our conversations with people of diverse perspectives are important. An “ethic of love” can guide us in these trying times.
Workshop #1: Living a Love Ethic. Building on the keynote that discusses the “whys” of embracing a love ethic, this workshop will focus on the “hows” of living a love ethic in everyday life. In light of our divisive and polarized society, we will discuss, practice and share strategies to engage with others across lines of difference.
Workshop #2: Inside the Outlook: Teri McDowell Ott discusses the mission and vision of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s only independent publisher, why the Outlook’s independence is important for the church, and her vision for the 200-year-old publisher’s future.
Books I’m loving:
I’ve learned so much from reading the work of Martin Luther King, Jr, and recommend his books and writings to be read whole—not just the popular quotes. My copy of Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? is thoroughly marked and tabbed and returned to again and again. It’s just as, or perhaps more, relevant today than when King wrote it in 1968.
I’m halfway through Regina Jackson and Saira Rao’s recently published book, White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How to Do Better. After getting invited to too many lunches and dinners by White women asking Jackson and Rao for racial feedback and learning, the two teamed up to start Race2Dinner. Race2Dinner coordinates two-hour dinner conversations with Jackson, Rao and eight White women. Participants also receive pre-dinner support and post-dinner consulting. The book describes the dinners, the honest and challenging conversations they foster, and the transformative racial learning they liberate. White Women is a challenging, but worthwhile read.
Let’s connect!
What books are you reading? How did you honor Martin Luther King, Jr on January 16th?
I look forward to hearing from you in the comments or through my website: www.terimcdowellott.com.