When repeated name in 1968 news?
In the year 1968, news reports were filled with the same name being repeated over and over again: Robert F. Kennedy. From his assassination to his legacy, there was no getting away from his presence in the headlines in 1968. Many people would come to recognize him as an icon of social justice who had a powerful effect on the United States and our history.
Robert F. Kennedy was born on November 20th, 1925, in Brookline, Massachusetts, and grew up surrounded by politics due to his father being a U.S. ambassador to Great Britain under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration. Kennedy attended Harvard University for two years before enlisting for military service during World War II, where he served with distinction as an intelligence officer in Europe and North Africa, earning several awards for valor, including two purple hearts for wounds suffered during battle and a bronze star medal with an oak leaf cluster for gallantry under fire.
Following the end of the war, he graduated from Harvard Law School and began working as a lawyer in Washington, D.C., eventually joining his brother john’s presidential campaign when john ran to become president of the United States during the 1960 election season, which eventually led him into politics himself when he became a US senator from New York in 1965 following his appointment by Governor Nelson Rockefeller at the behest of President Johnson, thus making Robert F. Kennedy one member of a political dynasty dating back four generations since his great grandfather had first settled his family into America back in 1848, allowing them to rise much quicker than usual
Rfk found himself part of a democratic party that presented itself as the force behind the civil rights movement, though not necessarily a leader —as was best seen when he joined Martin Luther King’s Selma to Montgomery March, which grew violent clashes between marchers and state police troops as well as police beating African-American activists trying to register to vote. also a moment where human rights activists meet political pragmatism, realizing that civil disobedience could bring media pressure upon government whenever it attempted to oppress citizens. In this respect, RFK was both an outspoken voice against state violence towards citizens while also being an important figure helping the democratic party gain traction among the African American population — something that ultimately led to party victory during Johnson’s run for the presidency later that year.
Unfortunately however, tragedy struck on June 6, 1968, as Senator Kennedy, having won the California primary election upon its night, the Hotel Ambassador Los Angeles — only few hours since having made a celebratory speech — fell victim to an assassination attempt caused by shooter Sirhan Bishara Sirhan while passing through the kitchen area of the hotel alongside his wife Ethel moments later. It was an act which sent shockwaves throughout the nation, but perhaps surprisingly provided a cultural boost to civil rights movements, particularly after jfk’s funeral procession witnessed mourners along fences singing the anthem "We shall overcome." It has become a lasting memory of rfk’s death even today, a memory that only heightened the sense of awe one gets when experiencing an eternal flame, providing a memorial grave at Arlington National Cemetery alongside other related memorials scattered around the country. Institutions like the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Organization, even named after him, showing effort to keep alive ideas and ideals that were once Senator fought a lifetime creating a true symbol of modern justice struggle against oppression.
