Last year, Miranda read Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Beyond Vietnam” at the very same church it was orginally given on April 4, 1967, exactly one year prior to his death. I did not know this speech by Dr. King, but upon hearing it, I felt that his words seem very relevant to today. I wanted to share Miranda’s impassioned reading of it this Martin Luther King Day.

Much of the speech is still very relevant today. Three of the quotes that stood out to me:

“We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society.”

“These are days that demand wise restraint and calm reasonableness.”

“If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality and strength without sight.”

Hearing Miranda share Dr. King’s calls for justice and peace is powerful and moving. The section on love and its ability to unite us (in the video around minute 7) is also very moving. Hearing someone read the words with such conviction can have more of an impact, particularly on teens, so I’ll be sharing this video with my daughter as one of the ways we’ll be observing the holiday.

You May Also Like: 9 Inspiring Martin Luther King Jr. quotes

Prior Post: What I’ve been reading lately

Don’t miss a post! Please subscribe to Between Us Parents’ safe, spam-free email list in the box in the top right corner of the page!

Please like Between Us Parents on Facebook. You can also find Between Us Parents on Pinterest and Twitter.