The National Park Service has an important job: protecting beautiful places, promoting patriotism and telling stories of American struggle, tragedy and courage.
The Park Service has established several sites that commemorate the history, decisions and moral questions raised during the Civil Rights movement. However, several important stories remain to be told.
Consider the story of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy’s visit to Indianapolis nearly 50 years ago. On April 4, 1968, Kennedy was scheduled to make a campaign stop in Indianapolis, on the site of today’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park, during his run for the presidency. Shortly before his speech, the senator from New York learned Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had been shot and killed by an assassin.
Rather than cancel his speech for fear of unrest, Sen. Kennedy announced the horrifying news of King’s death to a crowd of over 2,500 Hoosiers. He overcame his own shock to urge those gathered to reject violence, even if their first instinct may have been to riot. He spoke powerfully and with understanding of the crowd’s pain, sharing his own painful experience of his brother, President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Sen. Kennedy concluded his remarks that night by encouraging everyone to return home and say a prayer for Dr. King’s family, for our country and our people. His words mattered. While unrest erupted in cities across the nation that night, Indianapolis did not burn.
As we approach the 50th anniversary of this momentous speech, many across our city have yet to hear this powerful story. That’s why I recently introduced a bipartisan bill to raise the national profile of this special place. This bill would designate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Indianapolis as a National Commemorative Site and add it to the new National Civil Rights Network, preserving it for generations to come.
After receiving unanimous support in the House of Representatives this week, my bill now goes to the Senate, where our Hoosier Senators have introduced the companion legislation. I’m optimistic that when this bill is enacted into law, the Kennedy- King Establishment Act will bring long overdue national recognition to the hollowed ground where Sen. Kennedy made his speech.
In this time of division and strife, the story of what happened in Indianapolis the night of April 4, 1968 is more important than ever. As we continue to grapple with intolerance and fear, we should look back and remember the power of our words and tone and look to carry on the peace that Senator Robert Kennedy called for 50 years ago.
