On June 6, 1968, a year of intense turmoil in the U.S. and in the world, our country, still reeling from the assassination of Martin Luther King, watched in horror as Robert F. Kennedy was gunned down.
RFK was not just John Kennedy’s little brother. At the time of his death he was New York’s Junior Senator and a candidate for president. Moments before he was shot he had been declared winner of the California Democratic presidential primary.
Recently, thanks to archives at WBAI, 99.5 FM (where I host a weekly talk show on Mondays from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.), I have been listening to RFK’s speeches from 1968. I have been floored. He was Bernie Sanders with a Boston accent. He was supportive of student rebellions, railed against economic inequality, staunchly supported the nascent Women’s Movement, and opposed the war in Vietnam.
I hope to explore his life more, and the loss that America suffered with his death, in WestView next month and on the air. I look forward to sharing what I discover.
—Arthur Z. Schwartz
