Ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, community members and religious leaders convened at Riverside Church to commemorate the legacy of the famed civil rights activist Jan. 18. The event featured a visit from Gov. Kathy Hochul, who joined the church briefly during its Soul Food Lunch.
The public gathering was dedicated to King’s “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence” speech delivered at the church a year before his death, which explores how racism, militarism, and poverty threaten the principles of democracy and freedom.
“Reverend King spoke at Riverside six times in his life, and he delivered his iconic ‘Beyond Vietnam’ speech here a year to the day before he was assassinated. Some people argue that that speech played a part in why he was assassinated,” the Rev. Adriene Thorne of Riverside Church told Spectator in an interview after the gathering…