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King: Man of Peace in a Time of War

Earlier this year, Americans paid tribute to the greatest civil rights leader in the nation, nearly 40 years after he was assassinated. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is one of the most revered figures in Black History, and indeed world history. But many fear that his legacy has been simplified to the four words, “I Have a Dream,” while most Americans still don’t know what exactly that dream was about. At the time of his death in April 1968 he was working on anti-poverty and anti-war organizing. This work, outside of the bounds of desegregation, had caused his relationship to the White House and the media, to suffer. Today, his iconic figure is used by many politicians to justify their policies. Most recently, the late Dr. King even became a political football during the Democratic presidential nominees’ campaigns.

But the unpopular stand that King took, particularly against the Vietnam war, is the most forgotten aspect of his legacy. Today we examine that legacy by hearing King’s own words in a brand new documentary called King: Man of Peace in a Time of War. This film, most notably, features a TV interview done just about 6 months before King was killed, on the Michael Douglas Show. The interview has not been seen in 40 years and exposes King’s most militant stands on his commitment to non-violence and against the war in Vietnam. King: Man of Peace in a Time of War features interviews with many notable people including Jesse Jackson, Lawrence Fishburne, Quincy Jones, and others, and narrated by award-winning actor, Obba Babatunde.