Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Stand Against Vietnam War and His Assassination Remembered
April 4 marks two pivotal events in the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. On this day in 1967, Dr. King delivered his 'Beyond Vietnam' speech at Riverside Church in New York City, condemning the Vietnam War and highlighting its impact on the poor in America. He criticized the irony of Black men fighting for freedoms abroad that they were denied at home. Despite facing criticism, Dr. King felt compelled to speak out against the war. Exactly one year later, on April 4, 1968, Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was supporting a strike by Black sanitation workers. He was shot while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel and was pronounced dead shortly after. James Earl Ray was identified as the shooter and later sentenced to 99 years in prison. 
