Coretta King
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- Transcript
Mr. Bell and my friends are peace so I come to New York to be with the strong feeling of my dearly beloved husband. Who was snatched suddenly from my slightly mauled three weeks ago now no one wanted me to be president today. Oh my heart is heavy with grief from having suffered as a rapper of all personal all my faith in the redemptive will of God is stronger today than ever before. As many of you probably know my husband had accepted Sapt an invitation to speak to you today and had he been here. I am sure all of you would have
lifted your heart sends barriers to new levels of understanding and his customary hash. I live to share with you some notes taken from my husband's pocket upon his death. How many scraps of paper upon which she scribbled notes are his many speeches among these no was one set which he never delivered. Perhaps they were are his early thoughts on the message he wants to give to you today. I am sure he will have to fill up and deliver them in his usual eloquent and inspired fashion. I simply read them to you as he recorded them and I will tell you the man ments on Vietnam.
Thou shalt not believe in a military victory. Now what. Number of. People. Out of the South. Now shall not kill the.
House shall not. Now in our house. Not. Now. Thank you. Thank you.
PS. our Ten Commandments on the now. How to have and love my husband have kept alive the burning issue of war and the American conscience will not be deluded by talk of song and man hours the work of peacemaking must continue until the last day on this silence. I come to you in my heart. Which my husband my husband
arrived so much of this trial and inspiration from the love of people who share his dream high to. Now might strengthen me along the road. It was on April 4th 1967 that my husband gave his major address against the war in Vietnam on April 4th 1968. He was assassinated. I remember how he agonized over the great misunderstanding which took place as a result of his position on the Vietnam War. His motives were
question his credentials what shall I lose. And his loyalty to this nation was a lie. Now one year later you know almost unbelievable results coming from all of our United afterwards. Have we then suggested the possibility of two candidates as front Rollo's father presidency of the United States. How was sanity. Certainly it would have been questioned. Yes and I need not trace for you how many of our hopes have been realized and these 12 show moms never enough history of this nation have the people been so forceful and reversing the policies of our government in regard to war. We are indeed on the threshold of awful new day for the peacemakers.
But just as conscientious action has reversed the tide of public opinion and government policy we must now turn our attention to the Soulforce of the movement of people of goodwill to the problems of the poor here at home. My husband always solve the problem of racism and poverty. Here at home and militarism are growing as two sides of the same coin. And in fact it is even very clear that our house here at home is to try to solve social problems through military me just as we have done for all the interrelatedness of domestic and foreign affairs is no longer a question. The bombs we dropped on the people of Vietnam continued
to explode at home with all of their devastating potential. And so I would invite you to join us in Washington and I offer to enable the people of this nation to enjoy more of. Our share of America's blessings. Fair is no reason why our nation as rich as ours should be blighted by poverty disease and illiteracy. It is plain that we don't care about our people except to explore them as cheap labor and victimize them for excessive rents and consumer prices. Congress passes laws which subsidize corporations foreign
auto companies and Ella and Howells's First of all when they turn their attention to the floor they suddenly become concerned about balancing the budget and cut back on funds for Head Start. Medicare and mental health appropriation the most tragic of these cuts is the welfare section to the social security amendment which freezes federal funds for millions of needy children who are desperately poor who do not receive public assistance. It forces mothers to let their children and accept work or training leaving their children to grow up in the streets tomorrow. This law must be repealed and.
I encourage you to join welfare mothers on May 12 Mother's Day and call on Congress to establish a gallon on your car and stay out of these races and k. As God's children have created more social problems than they saw the March on Washington on Thursday May 2nd we will return to Memphis to begin where my husband was lying and his poor people's campaign. We will be marching to want Washington to demand that America share its life with all its citizens.
We sure arrived in Washington by May 17. I invite you to support the purposes of this march and to join us in Washington on May 30 years for the Memorial Day weekend. I would now like to address myself to the women the one power of this nation can be the power which makes us whole and heals the broken community now so shall fight war and poverty and racism. I have great. Faith in the power of women who will dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to the task of remaking our society. I believe that the women of this nation and the world are the best and last
by a world of peace and brotherhood. This challenge is from the words of one of the greatest black lines to call the poem mother to son. But it speaks to the sons and daughters of this generation and those yet on the phone. It speaks of the determination and the indestructible spirit of black people who refused to be calm. This spirit must somehow be in the hearts and souls of women and their songs everywhere. Listen to this black mama she comes lose her song and all of Han roam our whole profound why Elmo's song.
I'll tell you why follow me it ain't been no crystal stuck its head tax and hands and bolts torn up and places where no hospital of no. Where all the time Miles has been our climate all and reaches a landing and turning corners and sometimes going in the dark. We have been no light solve all our dull shoes sat down on the steps Paula she finds it's kind of hot. Don't you stop now. Five is still going hard. I still have a life for me
and ain't been no crystal stem. Well this determination with this phase where you will be able to create a new home is no community no set is on the old nation yet again on New World which we desperately need. Who's machine was giving a large. Role.
- Program
- Coretta King
- Contributing Organization
- Pacifica Radio Archives (North Hollywood, California)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip/28-057cr5nh8m
If you have more information about this item than what is given here, or if you have concerns about this record, we want to know! Contact us, indicating the AAPB ID (cpb-aacip/28-057cr5nh8m).
- Description
- Episode Description
- Coretta Scott King delivers a speech on the Civil rights movement at the 27th peace march in New York. This took place three weeks after the death of her husband, Martin Luther King, Jr. Mrs. King reads from the handwritten notes of her husband's incomplete speech for this occasion, his "10 Commandments on Vietnam," his dedication to the poor people of America and the world, and asks for the women's support and participation in the poor people movement. Mrs. King closes her speech by reading Langston Hughes's poem, "Mother to Son."
- Genres
- Event Coverage
- Subjects
- King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968; African Americans--Civil rights--History
- Media type
- Sound
- Duration
- 00:15:55
- Credits
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- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
Pacifica Radio Archives
Identifier: 10471_D01 (Pacifica Radio Archives)
Format: 1/4 inch audio tape
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Pacifica Radio Archives
Identifier: PRA_AAPP_BB1331_Coretta_King (Filename)
Format: audio/vnd.wave
Generation: Master
Duration: 0:15:54
If you have a copy of this asset and would like us to add it to our catalog, please contact us.
- Citations
- Chicago: “Coretta King,” Pacifica Radio Archives, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed September 12, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-28-057cr5nh8m.
- MLA: “Coretta King.” Pacifica Radio Archives, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. September 12, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-28-057cr5nh8m>.
- APA: Coretta King. Boston, MA: Pacifica Radio Archives, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-28-057cr5nh8m