WPDI is very proud to announce that our CEO/Founder, Forest Whitaker has been invited to read, on 17 September, one of Martin Luther King’s most powerful speeches, “Beyond Vietnam”, at the very same pulpit of the same church on Riverside Drive in New York. The reading will mark the 50th anniversary of King’s delivery of the speech on 4 April 1967 at Riverside Church. In his addressed, he stressed the common link forming between the civil rights and peace movements, proposing that the United States stop all bombing of Vietnam and engage in peace talks. Dr. King maintained his opposition to the Vietnam war and his support to peace movements until he was assassinated on April 4, 1968, one year to the day after delivering the “Beyond Vietnam” speech.
Forest Whitaker will be joined by other expected attendees such as Reverend Al Sharpton, Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts, the Howard University Gospel Choir, Sir the Baptist, and more.
The celebration of the 50th Annniversary of this momentous episode of American and world history is jointly organized by the Riverside Church and Global Citizen as part of the launch of Global Citizen Week. These series of events will run from September 17th through the 23rd and convene and activate a global network of individuals, companies, NGOs, performers, and government agencies who are committed to joining this movement and taking action.
The Riverside Church ceremony and the events of Global Citizen Week events are timed to coincide with the UN General Assembly, in which Forest Whitaker will also participate in his capacities as UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation and UN Advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals.
Link to register to the event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/breaking-the-silence-beyond-the-dream-tickets-37100924865
Live webcast: www.globalcitizen.org