"They must see Americans as strange liberators."

On 4 April 1967, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. made the famous Riverside Church speech in New York City. It was entitled: "Beyond Vietnam--A Time to Break Silence." You can listen and/or read it here.

I first heard/read this speech about a year ago. It is powerful and moving. But more than that, the speech demonstrates that since MLK's death, he has been domesticated. By that I mean, MLK is often talked about as a more moderate personality than, say, Malcolm X. But MLK had some pretty "radical" ideas about what we (American citizens and poor people at the wrong end of US military might) should do to transform and challenge the situation. MLK says:

These are revolutionary times. All over the globe men are revolting against old systems of exploitation and oppression, and out of the wounds of a frail world, new systems of justice and equality are being born. The shirtless and barefoot people of the land are rising up as never before. The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. We in the West must support these revolutions.

But the value and meaning of his words extend beyond the times and places that he spoke. Today they are relevant again. His speech is well worth the listen.