The University of Notre Dame Center for Arts and Culture, in collaboration with the Indianapolis-based Kennedy King Memorial Initiative, will screen the PBS documentary “A Ripple of Hope,” about the late U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy, at 6 p.m. Thursday (June 14).
“A Ripple of Hope” chronicles Kennedy’s legendary speech in Indianapolis on April 4, 1968, the day that Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis.
Kennedy visited Notre Dame and Ball State University earlier in the day. He learned of King’s death en route to Indianapolis, and he spoke to a crowd there despite fears of riots and concerns for his safety.
Representatives from the Kennedy King Memorial Initiative, a nonprofit that seeks to build on the historical events of that day to raise awareness, provoke thought and inspire action to eliminate division and injustice, will be on hand to share a display that honors King and Kennedy.
Following the screening, Richard Pierce, a professor of history in the departments of History and Africana Studies at Notre Dame who specializes in African-American, urban and civil rights history, will facilitate a discussion about the film.
The screening is part of 1968: A Movement in Time, a yearlong series of events — organized by the Center for Arts and Culture in collaboration with various campus and community partners — that seeks to place the tumultuous year in context with a focus on the defining art, music, culture, political movements and historic events of the time.
It coincides with the 50th anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination on June 5, 1968, as he campaigned for the Democratic nomination for president in Southern California.
For more information, visit artsandculture.nd.edu/global-experience/1968.
Contact: Erin Blasko, assistant director of media relations, 574-631-4127, eblasko@nd.edu