I have been searching for the text or audio of a speech by Martin Luther King
for a number of weeks now.
In this speech he made references to his feelings on the war in
Vietnam War and recites the ?Crystal Stair?. What stood out to me
specifically was a segment of the speech in which he discusses his
belief that people ought to contend for what is right because it is
right and not because it is popular or even practical.
This is not the very well known ?A Time to Break Silence? speech.
Hoping someone can help. |
Request for Question Clarification by
pinkfreud-ga
on
08 Jul 2004 15:44 PDT
Here is a speech in which Dr. King recites Langston Hughes' "crystal
stair" verse. Although this speech does not discuss the Vietnam War,
Dr. King says this:
"And that you are still determined to struggle and sacrifice for the
great cause of justice. I have said before that we have lived with
this protest so long that we have learned the meaning of sacrifice and
suffering. But somehow we feel that our suffering is redemptive. And
we know that we have a moral obligation to press on for justice.
Because of our love for democracy, we must press on. We think of the
fact that out of the two billion, four hundred million people in the
world, about a billion six hundred million of them live on two
continents: Asia and Africa. About six hundred million in China, four
hundred million in India and Pakistan, a hundred million in Indonesia,
two hundred million in Africa, about eighty-six million in Japan. And
all of these people are looking over, across the seas, wondering what
we have to say in America about democracy. And America is in a very
vulnerable position, and because of our love for democracy and our
belief that democracy is the greatest form of government that we have
on earth, because of our determination not to allow the world to turn
to an evil communistic ideology, we must press on for justice."
http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/papers/vol3/561114.013-Address_to_MIA_Mass_Meeting_at_Holt_Street_Baptist_Church.htm
Is this the text you're looking for?
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Clarification of Question by
kmeleanthony-ga
on
08 Jul 2004 16:22 PDT
No this is not the speech i was looking for. In The speech I am
referring tom, Dr King responds to critics that suggest that his
support for Vietnam might hurt the civil rights movement, and answers
by explaining the importance of fighting for what is right because it
is right and not because it is popular.
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Request for Question Clarification by
pinkfreud-ga
on
08 Jul 2004 16:26 PDT
Are you certain that he recites Hughes' "crystal stair" poem in this speech?
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Request for Question Clarification by
pinkfreud-ga
on
08 Jul 2004 16:32 PDT
Does this sound like what you're seeking?
"Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the
question, 'Is it politic?' Vanity asks the question, 'Is it popular?'
But, conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?' And there comes a
time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic,
nor popular, but one must take it because one's conscience tells one
that it is right."
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Request for Question Clarification by
pinkfreud-ga
on
08 Jul 2004 16:36 PDT
Here's another excerpt from the speech I have in mind:
"One day a newsman came to me and said, 'Dr. King, don?t you think
you?re going to have to stop, now, opposing the war and move more in
line with the administration?s policy? As I understand it, it has hurt
the budget of your organization, and people who once respected you
have lost respect for you. Don?t you feel that you?ve really got to
change your position?' I looked at him and I had to say, 'Sir, I?m
sorry you don?t know me. I?m not a consensus leader. I do not
determine what is right and wrong by looking at the budget of the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference. I?ve not taken a sort of
Gallup Poll of the majority opinion.' Ultimately a genuine leader is
not a searcher for consensus, but a molder of consensus."
However, the "crystal stair" verse does not appear in this speech.
If this sounds like the correct speech, I can direct you to the full
text and audio excerpts.
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