Veterans For Peace sponsoring reading of MLK’s ‘Mountaintop’ speech

Speak and listen to the words of Martin Luther King, the words he spoke at Riverside church fifty- six years ago, just one year to the day before he was assassinated. King’s speech on April 4, 1967 has been called “Beyond Vietnam.” It is recognized as one of the great speeches in American history, and its messages resonate in today’s chaotic world. “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” He warned of “the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism.” There is so much in his speech for us to digest.

Veterans For Peace #161 are sponsoring a community reading of the Riverside speech on Tuesday, April 4. That speech, and excerpts from his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech, delivered in Memphis the night before he was killed, will be read multiple times between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the fountain area of the Iowa City Ped Mall. The public is invited to read parts of the speeches, or to listen. Folks may come and go as they wish.

Ed Flaherty

Iowa City