Busboy Juan Romero is among those aiding Kennedy. From campaign to tragedy: A look at Robert Kennedy's final days, Black lives lost and the outrage that followed, Couple married 68 years dies in Colorado's East Troublesome Fire, Conflict raging over 'The Eyes of Texas' school song, Police officer fired after fatal shooting involving unarmed Black couple. Kennedy gives his last speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles right before he was assassinated. The last words she ever got to say to him were, “I love you, Jack. Mr Romero had delivered room service to the politician a few days before the assassination and had wanted to congratulate him on the primary win as he walked through the hotel's kitchen area. . [23] Former U.S.

Sen. Robert Kennedy sprawled semi-conscious in his own blood after being shot in brain and neck while busboy Juan Romero tries to comfort him, in kitchen at hotel, June 6, 1968.

Presidential contender Bobby Kennedy campaigning, 1968. [27] It includes interviews with associates of Kennedy and members of the audience. "Remarks on the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.", "April 4, 1968: How RFK saved Indianapolis", "Top 100 American Speeches of the 20th Century", "Jay-Z, a speech by Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and 'Schoolhouse Rock!' Senator Robert F. Kennedy and wife campaigning in Indiana Presidential primary, March 1968. You can see more exclusive images by Bill Eppridge in his book, "A Time It Was: Bobby Kennedy in the Sixties," which portrays the passion Kennedy had during his campaign. This June he celebrated his own birthday for the first time in 47 years, having previously not done so out of sorrow. The remarks surprised Kennedy aides, who had never heard him speak of his brother's death in public. Is that faith justified?" "I always dreaded when June was coming up," he said. Who's behind the decline of politics? Speech on the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. On April 4, 1968, United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York delivered an improvised speech several hours after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.. Kennedy, who was campaigning to earn the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, made his remarks while in Indianapolis, Indiana, after speaking at two Indiana universities earlier in the day. Mr Romero, now 65, told the Los Angeles Times colmnist Steve Lopez how he would lie awake at night wondering if Kennedy might have survived had it not been for that handshake. [4] After talking with reporters at the Indianapolis airport, Kennedy canceled a stop at his campaign headquarters and continued on to the rally site, where a crowd had gathered to hear him speak. Juan Romero was working in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel on the night of June 5, 1968. Presidential contender Bobby Kennedy stops during campaigning to shake hands with delighted young boy, April 1968. Upon arrival, Kennedy was informed that King had died. [10][21] In stark contrast to Indianapolis, riots erupted in more than one hundred U.S. cities including Chicago, New York City, Boston, Detroit, Oakland, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore, killing 35 and injuring more than 2,500. Senator Robert F. Kennedy lies on the floor of the Ambassador Hotel after being shot by a young Jordanian Sirhan Sirhan. Strictly Come Dancing 2020: when does it start, and how will this year's show work? Juan Romero, the kitchen worker who comforted the dying Bobby Kennedy, tells how 'hope was taken away in a second'. Pssst! [20] Indianapolis remained calm that night, which is believed to have been in part because of the speech. One African-American student raised a question to Kennedy that seems almost a premonition of the speech to come later that night after the horrific events of the day. . Renowned LIFE photographer Bill Eppridge had been documenting Kennedy since his senatorial campaign days in 1966, capturing Kennedy's every move. On the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building, Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robert_F._Kennedy%27s_speech_on_the_assassination_of_Martin_Luther_King_Jr.&oldid=983557742, Works about assassinations in the United States, United States National Recording Registry recordings, Articles with dead external links from May 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 14 October 2020, at 22:28. Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy campaigning in 1968. Busboy describes Bobby Kennedy's final moments. [12] He was the first to publicly inform the audience of King's assassination, causing members of the audience to scream and wail in disbelief.
He told the Los Angeles Times: "I don't carry the cross anymore.". Mr Romero, now a construction worker, told the Los Angels Times: "I wanted to protect his head from the cold concrete. He didn't look at my colour, he didn't look at my position. Eppridge's images will also be on display at the Monroe Gallery in Santa Fe to celebrate his work and Kennedy's life 50 years later. Coordinates: 39°47′27″N 86°8′47″W / 39.79083°N 86.14639°W / 39.79083; -86.14639, For RFK's prepared, formal response to the assassination, see, Preparing his notes without reference books, recalling the quote from memory, Kennedy slightly misquoted a passage from. As the nation marks the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's death Tuesday, here are some exclusive images from his campaigning days.

[1][2] Before boarding a plane to attend campaign rallies in Indianapolis, he learned that King had been shot in Memphis, Tennessee. and I told him 'Yes, everybody's OK'. His campaign started late, announcing his presidential candidacy on March 16, 1968, but his voice was strong and passionate with a message of bringing people together. The kitchen worker who comforted Bobby Kennedy as he lay dying has told how for years he felt guilt over the presidential candidate's death.

The busboy who held Robert F. Kennedy after he was shot in 1968 revealed in an interview the senator’s last words; Juan Romero, who was 17 at the time of the slaying in Los Angeles [16] Quoting the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus,[Note 1] with whom he had become acquainted through his brother's widow, Jacqueline Kennedy,[16] Kennedy said, "Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God. On the plane, Kennedy told a reporter "You know, it grieves me. Man who heard Robert Kennedy's last words when he was a teen dies in California Senator Robert Kennedy awaits medical assistance as he lies on …

[20] Crawford claimed to the Indianapolis Star in 2015 "Look at all those other cities" and "I believe it would have gone that way (in Indianapolis) had not Bobby Kennedy given those remarks. among recordings deemed classics by Library of Congress", 64th United States Attorney General, 1961–1964, United States senator from New York, 1965–1968, Senate Committee investigation of Labor and Management, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation. On that fateful night after his speech -- June 5, 1968 -- Kennedy made his way through the hotel's kitchen with Eppridge close behind.

According to reporter John J. Lindsay, Kennedy "seemed to shrink back as though struck physically" and put his hands to his face, saying "Oh, God. [4] That evening he addressed the crowd, many of whom had not heard about King's assassination. Presidential candidate Bobby Kennedy and his dog, Freckles, running on Fort Stevens State Park in Oregon, May 24, 1968. [13] Several of Kennedy's aides were worried that the delivery of this information would result in a riot. Kennedy was then shot by Sirhan and fell to the ground in front of him. [25], In 2019, the audio of the speech was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[26]. Mr Romero said: "First he asked 'Is everybody OK?'

Kennedy gives his last … Juan Romero, a Mexican immigrant who was 17 at the time, was captured in iconic photographs cradling the head of the dying presidential candidate after he was shot by Sirhan Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5,1968. He empathized with the audience by referring to the assassination of his brother, United States President John F. Kennedy, by a white man. [3] Kennedy himself would be assassinated two months later, while campaigning for presidential nomination at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. [7] His speech at Ball State was well received by more than 9,000 students, faculty, and community members.

June 5, 1968: Robert F. Kennedy's last speech.

Prior to his death in 2013, Eppridge recalled, "I went from being a photographer to a historian at that moment.".

"[8], In Indianapolis the news of King's death caused concern among representatives from Kennedy's campaign and city officials, who feared for his safety and the possibility of a riot.


"[15] Kennedy acknowledged that many in the audience would be filled with anger, especially since the assassin was believed to be a white man. Shots rang out and Eppridge, with his camera in hand, found himself documenting Kennedy's last moments, capturing the historic image of a scared busboy, Juan Romero, trying to comfort Kennedy as he lay dying. On April 4, 1968, United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York delivered an improvised speech several hours after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr..Kennedy, who was campaigning to earn the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, made his remarks while in Indianapolis, Indiana, after speaking at two Indiana universities earlier in the day. [9] The Indianapolis chief of police warned Kennedy that the police could not provide adequate protection for the senator if the crowd were to riot,[10] but Kennedy decided to go speak to the crowd regardless. There are so many 'what ifs' about Bobby's death. Instead of the rousing campaign speech they expected, Kennedy offered brief, impassioned remarks for peace that are considered to be one of the great public addresses of the modern era. US election polls tracker: Will Donald Trump or Joe Biden win the 2020 presidential race? Kennedy answered "Yes" and added that "faith in black America is justified, too" although he said there "are extremists on both sides. [24], The Landmark for Peace Memorial, installed in 1995 in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park near the site where the speech took place in Indianapolis, includes sculptures of King and Kennedy. The speech was performed verbatim by Linus Roache in the 2002 film RFK. Across the country, approximately 70,000 army and National Guard troops were called out to restore order.