Yesterday's anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King has brought out a wonderful and sad collection of memories, stories, and lessons (some learned, some not). As someone who both cares about social justice and has spent many years teaching speech and rhetoric, I'm happy that King's entire Memphis speech of April 3 is getting more notice. The finale is well known, but the entire speech about doing good for others is as important now as it was then.
The other big speech I'm happy is getting play is the one Bobby Kennedy gave in Indianapolis (link includes incomplete video, full audio). Not only is it a moving tribute, but how many people can get away with claiming, "my favorite poet is Aeschylus"?
As has been reported, Indianapolis was relatively quiet that night, which is credited in part to Kennedy's speech. Contrast that to over 100 other American cities where there was rioting for the next four days. More than $50 million dollars in damage was done, 39 people died, and 22,000 federal troops and 34,000 National Guardsmen were called into action. The worst of the rioting came in Chicago, Baltimore, and DC.
But another city besides Indianapolis remained relatively quiet as well: Boston.
On the night of April 5, James Brown was scheduled to play the old Boston Garden. At first, new mayor, Kevin White, was inclined to cancel the show, thinking it might only ratchet up the tension. But Brown and the city came to a novel solution: not only would the concert go on, but it would be broadcast free over channel WGBH.
The concert went on, and Brown dedicated it to King. He also acted as a calming force: when, at one point, the police wanted to 'stop' some fans who were getting too close to the stage, Brown told them not to worry, he'd take care of it.
Mostly, though, he just gave a stellar performance. And Boston, like Indianapolis, stayed relatively quiet.