Commemorating the 50th anniversary of Dr. King's, "Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam" speech, Troy LaRaviere gave the opening remarks at the event, less a memorial than a call to to renew the truth of Dr. King . The event was organized by Chicago Area Peace Action and eleven other groups to take up and renew King's call for a radical revolution of values. The full program can be found at the chipeaceaction.org web site.
Troy LaRaviere tells us that Dr. King gave two speeches on Vietnam. The first at the historic Riverside Church in New York City on April 4, 1967 and a second in Atlanta where he responded to the vicious attacks and vilification he received from establishment, government and movement "friends" alike for the searing truth of what he said by "doubling down" on his critique.
Chicago Area Peace Action - chipeaceaction.org Addi Wyatt Center for Nonviolence Training Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression Chicago Principals and Administrators Association Citizen Action Illinois Southside Coalition to Ban Petcoke The Peoples Lobby Veterans for Peace
Troy LaRaviere is the President of the Chicago Principles and Administrators Association. He was a Chicago Public Schools (CPC) student, a CPS principal, and is a parent of a CPS student. He relentlessly defends high quality public education and has written and spoken extensively to help audiences understand the American educational landscape and discern fact from fiction in the school reform debate.
The "Beyond Vietnam - A Time To Break Silence" speech at Riverside Church: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Qf6x9_MLD0