Obama, Clinton, in Kennedy shadow

by Jason George

INDIANAPOLIS — On a windy, chilly night 40 years ago, Robert Kennedy climbed onto the back of a flatbed truck here and delivered tragic news to a largely African-American audience: Martin Luther King Jr. had been shot and killed.

Kennedy's speech, largely ad-libbed and only 5 minutes 52 seconds long, was filled with Greek poetry, references to his brother's assassination and a call "to understand, to get beyond these difficult times."

The remarks cemented Kennedy's place in history at one of the darkest moments of the civil rights movement, and they remain part of the iconography of American politics.

"I have some very sad news for all of you," Kennedy said, his voice strong and measured, as he approached the microphones at 17th and Broadway Streets to deliver lines more suited for a requiem than a rally. "... Martin Luther King was shot and was killed tonight in Memphis, Tenn."

As the news of King's death spread that evening of April 4, 1968, rioting erupted in more than 50 cities, including Chicago, but Indianapolis was not among them. Kennedy's remarks are remembered as the speech that saved the city.

This week Indianapolis will mark that moment with several memorial services. And just a month before this state's hotly contested Democratic primary, Kennedy's words will carry added significance, as both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton try to position themselves as heir to Kennedy's 1968 campaign calls for ending an unpopular war, healing racial divisions and fighting poverty.

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About 500 people came to hear Kennedy that night in a poor pocket of downtown Indianapolis. Few knew of King's assassination a couple of hours before, and most assumed they would hear a standard stump speech from the newly declared candidate. Many who were there that evening say that what they got instead still resonates strongly and inspires their voting preferences in this year's contest.

"I think that most knowledgeable people would say that Robert Kennedy's speech made a huge difference that night," said Michael Riley, who was Kennedy's Indiana campaign chairman. "I believe that Obama captures that kind of interest and charisma much more than Sen. Clinton. Robert Kennedy had a message that resonated, sort of like Barack Obama's message that we have to do better, and African-Americans loved him."

Billie Breaux was one such African-American at the speech that night, and she credits Kennedy's remarks with cooling the rage of those around her in the crowd. "I think it calmed people and made them think," she said.

She disagrees with Riley, though, about who best carries on Kennedy's message. "I think Hillary Clinton's background and years of service to all those less fortunate is more in tune with the concerns of Robert and myself," Breaux said.

The events of April 4, 1968, had other impacts as well, said Ray Boomhower, author of " Robert F. Kennedy and the 1968 Indiana Primary." Most obvious, the speech improved Kennedy's standing in the state and helped lead him to victory in Indiana's primary a month later—his first presidential campaign victory.

That win then helped Kennedy's young supporters rise through the state's political ranks. "I think it gave a lot of young Democrats who were more liberal than the average Indiana Democrat a chance to get their feet wet and get involved on a national effort here," Boomhower said.

That was true for Breaux, Riley and several other political neophytes who were on hand the night of the speech. Riley has held various elected positions over the years, and Breaux is the current auditor for Marion County, which includes Indianapolis. Even Republican state Sen. Teresa Lubbers, one of the few white audience members in the crowd that night, wrote in The Indianapolis Star this week that the speech affected her politically.

"Now, four decades later, I remember his words and that historic moment as a call to service and ideals we should never abandon," she wrote.

This Friday afternoon, organizers will hold a memorial service at a public school adjacent to the spot where Kennedy delivered his April 4 speech. The event will not be without political overtones from the current presidential contest.

Ethel Kennedy, Robert's widow, is expected to attend the ceremony between Indiana campaign stops for Obama, whom she endorsed.

The speech site itself is now a city park, and the service will take place in a neighborhood that has improved since 1968, residents say, although poverty persists. Sherri Woods, 22, lives in Caravelle Commons, a low-income apartment complex behind the site where Kennedy addressed the crowd. From her unit, it's a short walk to the park, but young men often loiter there at night, discouraging evening strolls, she said.

When asked whether she feels safe living here, Woods deflected the question. "I just try to raise my son and mind my own business," she said. "I don't go to the park a lot."