April 4, 2018 was the 50th anniversary of a speech given by Robert F. Kennedy at a small park on the near Northside of Indianapolis. Kennedy, then a candidate for President in the 1968 election, was in town and was scheduled to speak in the urban park, but immediately before he was to go on he was notified of the hours-old assassination of noted civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Kennedy changed his planned remarks, and announced the assassination to the largely African ... view more »
April 4, 2018 was the 50th anniversary of a speech given by Robert F. Kennedy at a small park on the near Northside of Indianapolis. Kennedy, then a candidate for President in the 1968 election, was in town and was scheduled to speak in the urban park, but immediately before he was to go on he was notified of the hours-old assassination of noted civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Kennedy changed his planned remarks, and announced the assassination to the largely African American crowd; he followed the announcement with inspiring words urging the crowd to practice love, compassion, peace, and forgiveness towards one another. Just over two months later, Kennedy himself would be assassinated. Still later, the park was renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Park.
To mark the anniversary, the Kennedy King Memorial Initiative commissioned a plaque and a set of two large banners. The Indiana Historical Society designed and produced the banners, which portray King, Kennedy, and the crowd of local residents who had gathered on that historic day. Also in 2018, just days before the anniversary celebration, the spot where Kennedy made his speech (immediately adjacent to the banners) was designated a National Historic Site.
View less
