TOLEDO— An eclectic group united their voices at the Monroe Street United Methodist Church on April 6 to commemorate the anniversary of Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence, the famous anti-war speech delivered by Martin Luther King Jr.
One by one, individuals representing 50 different community organizations stepped to the microphone to solemnly proclaim King’s words calling for peace and justice. King gave the speech at Riverside Church in New York City on April 4, 1967 – one year to the day before he was assassinated.
Our Time to Break Silence has been held annually since 2017. The community reading is hosted by the church but organized by a committee representing a large coalition of individuals and organizations from the Toledo area.
Readers included representatives from Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities, the League of Women Voters, Lucas County Children Services, students from The University of Toledo and Toledo Public Schools, the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, and many other nonprofit and advocacy groups.
“I can personally say I have never been in a room with such a diverse group of people, and I think Dr. King’s message speaks to the fact that we are much stronger together than we will ever be apart,” said Marilyn DuFour, a member of the organizing committee and representative of Sacred Grounds Toledo.
“I think that’s what draws people to this event. It gives everyone an equal voice, and gives everybody an opportunity to share their own particular way of breaking silence,” she added.
Throughout the community reading, the crowd in attendance was encouraged to stand periodically to recite key lines expressing King’s message. Each of these passages was punctuated by the repetition of the phrase, “I will NOT be silent.”
Organizers drew parallels between the Vietnam War and other injustices of King’s day and those taking place now, including the war and devastation in Gaza.
“Even though it is no longer 1967, there are still travesties happening today that need to be spoken out against,” Vernita Lewis Taylor said during her introduction for the program.
Lewis Taylor, an event co-chair who also works as an accountant for TPS, cited among her concerns the attacks on women’s rights and voting rights, the dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and the Department of Education.
She said the event is meant to ignite people to want to do something to make their own communities better, using King as a role model.
“What he’s doing in the speech is saying that we must bond together,” said Lynne Hamer, a member of Monroe Street United Methodist who started the event in 2017 and co-chairs the planning committee. She added that King cast a broad net in his speech when he called for the defeat of “the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism and militarism.”
This year Hamer divided the speech into parts for 53 readers, trying as best she could to match excerpts with the priorities of the representative’s organization. “You hear the speech in its entirety in all of these different voices,” she said.
TPS has served as an event co-sponsor for the past several years. Students and administrators spoke during the program; artwork created by TPS students was on display around the church; and the Chamber Orchestra from Toledo School for the Arts performed “North Star to Freedom” by Soon Hee Newbold.
“It’s wonderful to have our students involved in this event, to show them that their voice does matter,” said Linda Ruiz-Bringman, the assistant superintendent of Student, Family and Community Engagement for TPS and a member of the event’s planning committee.
Stephenie Williams, a senior at Jones Leadership Academy of Business, said she was not familiar with King’s speech before she was asked to serve as a reader for this year’s event. She took her role seriously, noting that it was important not to read too fast or too slow.
“You got to let everybody hear the power that’s coming from you,” Williams said.
“Just to be part of something so moving, so inspirational, is something that I personally feel proud to be a part of,” she added.
