Motown Records’Black Forum label has reissued Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Why I Oppose The War In Vietnam. The landmark speech was recorded in April 1967 at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA. Originally released on vinyl in October 1970, Why I Oppose The War In Vietnam was the first album from the then-fledgling label.
Throughout 1967, Dr. King took a courageous stand against the war, which he viewed as an enemy of the poor. Why I Oppose The War In Vietnam won a GRAMMY Award for Best Spoken Word Album in 1971.
Today’s digital release marks the first time the album has been reissued. Download / stream HERE. View an excerpt from Dr. King’s speech HERE.
Taking a look at Dr. King’s GRAMMY history, which includes two earlier nominations, GRAMMY.com observed, “revisiting King’s teachings on peace and race equality are a vital part of how society will continue to evolve, even decades later.”
The vision for Black Forum was sparked by Motown founder Berry Gordy’s work with Dr. King, who recorded several speeches, including TheGreat March to Freedom, on Gordy Records, a Motown subsidiary label. Relaunched in January 2021, Black Forum has announced plans to reissue five additional albums over the course of the year:
- Stokely Carmichael – Free Huey
- Langston Hughes & Margaret Danner – Writers Of The Revolution
- Guess Who’s Coming Home: Black Fighting Men Recorded Live In Vietnam
- Ossie Davis – Congressional Black Caucus
- Various Artists – Black Spirts: Festival Of New Black Poets In America (includes appearances by Imamu Amiri Baraka, Stanley Crouch, and The Last Poets)
Elaine Brown’s self-titled album and Imamu Amiri Baraka’s It’s Nation Time were reissued in 2018. Elaine Brown is available on vinyl HERE. It’s Nation Time is available HERE.
Black Forum will also provide a platform to a new generation of writers, thinkers and poets. Check out this video for a look at the legacy and the future of Black Forum. The label’s relaunch is part of a collaboration with Motown Museum in Detroit, the home of Hitsville U.S.A. — a significant cultural institution that serves as the storyteller and heritage keeper of Motown Records’ legacy for millions of fans around the world.
