"on the wrong side of a world revolution"

by Rokcircle Thursday, Jan. 11, 2001 at 8:14 AM

On April 4, 1967, a year to the day before he was shot, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his "Beyond Vietnam" speech at Riverside Church in New York City. Here is an excerpt. Follow the link to read the whole speech.

In 1957 a sensitive American official overseas said that it seemed to him that our nation was on the wrong side of a world revolution. During the past ten years we have seen emerge a pattern of suppression which now has justified the presence of U.S. military "advisors" in Venezuela. This need to maintain social stability for our investments accounts for the counter-revolutionary action of American forces in Guatemala. It tells why American helicopters are being used against guerrillas in Colombia and why American napalm and green beret forces have already been active against rebels in Peru. It is with such activity in mind that the words of the late John F. Kennedy come back to haunt us. Five years ago he said, "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."

-- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Original: "on the wrong side of a world revolution"