The Ninth Annual Our Time to Break Silence: A Community Reading of Dr. Martin Luther King’s A Time to Break Silence convenes on Sunday, April 19, with doors opening at 2:30 and program at 3:00. The FREE community event is held at Monroe Street Church, 3613 Monroe Street, Toledo.
The event is sponsored by the MLK Time to Break Silence Organizing Committee and co-sponsored by Toledo Public Schools and the UToledo Black Student Union. It features 46 area organizations whose missions resonate with Dr. King’s call for people to band together across perceived differences to work not only for civil rights but also for human rights. At the heart of the event, representatives of the organizations join voices to present Dr. King’s Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence.
Delivered in 1967, one year to the day before his assassination, Dr. King’s speech motivated the American public across lines that had formerly divided interest groups. Dr. King called on all people who are able to protest against violence; to speak for change which must occur if we are to survive; to participate in a revolution in values; and to embrace the belief that love must be the fundamental principle from which we act.
This year, organizers see to amplify the message of BREAK THE SILENCE / STOP THE VIOLENCE, and audience members will be invited to participate in this as a call and response throughout the speech.
In addition to the speech, the event features local singers and spoken word artists, a student art show and information tables about local action opportunities. A punch & cookie reception provides opportunity to meet others; the venue is accessible; all are welcome.
The organizing committee has convened the event in Toledo since 2017. All who recognize a shared mission in the words of Dr. King’s speech are invited. The committee strives to broadcast the invitation more broadly each year. Confirmed participants for 2026 span generations, communities, and issues of concern. They are:
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
American Muslims for Palestine, Toledo Chapter
Black Student Union UToledo
CAIR Action Ohio (Council on American Islamic Relations)
Community Solidarity Response Network (CSRN)
Dances of Universal Peace
Democratic Socialists of America, NW Ohio Chapter
Escuela SMART Academy TPS
4Winds419
50501 Ohio / The Mockingjay Movement
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
I-475 Neighborhoods Coalition
Interfaith Blood Drive
Islamic Network Group Midwest (ING)
Jewish Community of Northwest Ohio
League of Women Voters
Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (Save Our Community)
Moms Demand Action / Everytown for Gun Safety
Monroe Street Neighborhood Center
Monroe Street United Methodist Church
Muhammad Mosque #91, Toledo
MultiFaith Council of Northwest Ohio
NAACP
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
Peace Studies Program, UToledo
People Who Show Up
Richard Lane Ministries
Sacred Grounds Toledo
St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church
St. Patrick of Heatherdowns Catholic School
Social Work Program, UToledo, Fearless Writers
Student Government, UToledo
Student Veterans of America (SVA)
TransParen(t)s
Tree Toledo
Veterans for Peace
West Ohio Conference United Methodist Church Committee Responding to Palestinian Christians
Toledo Area Jobs With Justice
Toledo Islamic Academy
Toledo Kwanzaa House
Toledo Persists and Ohio Equal Rights
Toledo Public Schools
Toledo Queer Black Collective
Toledo Vietnam Memorial Wall
Toledo Workers Project
Women’s & Gender Studies Program, UToledo