The Speech that Saved a City: RFK Announcing MLK's Death in Indianapolis

On April 4th, 1968, Senator Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) was scheduled to make a stop in Indianapolis, Indiana as part of his campaign for the presidency. A large crowd in a predominately African-American neighborhood was waiting to hear him speak. Just before Kennedy arrived, he got word that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated. The crowd waiting for Kennedy had not heard the news yet. The Indianapolis mayor and police encouraged Kennedy to cancel the event because they weren't sure they could guarantee his safety, as riots would break out all over the country that night in reaction to Dr. King's death. Kennedy decided to address the crowd. Instead of the campaign speech he had memorized, Kennedy had to come up with something on the fly to say. The 500-some words below are what Kennedy came up with. His whole talk was just under six minutes.

Kennedy started his speech by getting right to the point, sharing the news in his first sentence. On the recording of the speech, you can hear an audible gasp from the crowd upon hearing the news.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am only going to talk to you just for a minute or so this evening, because I have some very sad news for all of you and and I think sad news for all of our fellow citizens, and people who love peace all over the world, and that is that Martin Luther King was shot and killed tonight in Memphis, Tennessee."

In his second sentence, Kennedy focused on the person impacted by the news, not just on the news itself, by remembering Dr. King in a one sentence eulogy that elegantly captured what he was all about.

"Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice between fellow human beings, and he died in the cause of that effort."

In his next three sentences, Kennedy shifted to the decision that people needed to make based on that news. He first posed the alternatives he thought were wrong.

"In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it is perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in. For those of you who are black--considering the evidence there evidently is that there were white people who were responsible--you can be filled with bitterness, and with hatred, and a desire for revenge. We can move in that direction as a country, in greater polarization--black people amongst blacks, and whites amongst whites, filled with hatred toward one another."

In his next sentence, Kennedy mentioned the direction he wanted to go. He did it in an especially smart, empathetic way by posing it as what Dr. King would want to do. Kennedy was not saying yet that it is what he is proposing.

"Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand and to comprehend, and replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand with compassion and love."

Then Kennedy shared a personal story to connect with his audience on a deeper level. Kennedy made himself vulnerable by sharing this painful story. He had to steel himself to talk about such a personal loss to a group of complete strangers in a most stressful time. A weaker person could have broke down recalling such a sad memory.

"For those of you who are black and are tempted to be filled with hatred and distrust of the injustice of such an act, against all white people, I would only say that I feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling. I had a member of my family killed, but he was killed by a white man. But we have to make an effort in the United States, we have to make an effort to understand, to go beyond these rather difficult times."

Kennedy then used classic poetry to elevate the moment. When you remember that this was an unplanned, off the cuff speech, it is even more remarkable that he had this whole passage memorized. It makes me wonder how many other verses of poetry he had memorized. It also pains me to think why he remembered a poem about dealing with sorrow.

"My favorite poet was Aeschylus. He once wrote: '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.'"

Kennedy then clearly stated what his vision was. He did this by reiterating the options he had mentioned earlier in his speech but in different terms. He was making it a direct call.

"What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness; but is love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black."

Kennedy then made a specific, individual call to action to his audience. He could have given them a list of programs they could support or people they could vote for. They were there to see him campaigning, after all. Instead, he just left it to a simple action he wanted them to immediately take.

"So I shall ask you tonight to return home, to say a prayer for the family of Martin Luther King, that's true, but more importantly to say a prayer for our own country, which all of us love--a prayer for understanding and that compassion of which I spoke."

Kennedy then wound down by sharing his optimism about where things will go. His optimism was guarded given the depth of that moment, but he still was positive. He acknowledged that things will be difficult, but he pointed to things like history and numbers that made him confident.

"We can do well in this country. We will have difficult times; we've had difficult times in the past; we will have difficult times in the future. It is not the end of violence; it is not the end of lawlessness; it is not the end of disorder. But the vast majority of white people and the vast majority of black people in this country want to live together, want to improve the quality of our life, and want justice for all human beings that abide in our land."

Finally, Kennedy closed on an elevated note by once again referencing ancient wisdom, poetry, and prayer.

"Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world. Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people. Thank you very much."

Some historians rank this as one of the best speeches by a politician in United States history. It certainly must be one of the best unscripted speeches. Unlike most large cities, Indianapolis did not have mass riots that night. Many cite Kennedy's speech as the reason. Today, a memorial named the Landmark for Peace Memorial stands on the spot where Kennedy made this speech. It shows Senator Kennedy and Dr. King reaching to shake hands (see below). The park is named in Dr. King's honor. The neighborhood is now known as Kennedy-King.

Two months after he gave this speech, Senator Kennedy was himself assassinated.

Like his brother, President John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy was a compelling speaker. Leaders today can still learn from the techniques Kennedy demonstrated in that speech in Indianapolis. You can learn more about the speech on Wikipedia. You can hear an audio recording of it at the JFK Presidential Library.

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About the Author: Victor Prince is a corporate trainer, executive coach, and best-selling author who helps organizations build leadership, strategy, communications, and critical thinking skills. Earlier in his career, Victor was a consultant at Bain & Company, a marketing executive at Capital One, and the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He has an MBA in Finance from Wharton. Follow Victor on LinkedIN to access his 100+ articles on leadership, strategy, learning & development, and more.