I’m writing this post on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. I was 6 years old when this happened. I remember seeing footage of the event on television at my grandmother’s house. I was young enough at the time that I assumed everything I saw was live. I was also confused enough to think that he was his brother John. For years I told people that I remembered seeing the assignation of President Kennedy on live television. When I started hearing people talk about him being killed at Dealey Plaza while riding in a convertible, I thought, “These people are wrong!” I know I saw him in the kitchen of that hotel!” Book Depository? Grassy Knoll? I didn’t know anything about all that. What I saw was probably on a Thursday morning news report instead of the “live” coverage I assumed I was seeing.
Of course, I learned the difference a few years later, especially as documentaries and conspiracies about the JFK assassination became more common. There may be other important news events that I saw on the news that happened before this one. But this is the first one that stuck with me even though I missed several important details.
As much as I would like to say that Robert Kennedy influenced me, it would be dishonest for me to do so. While I believe that much of our political philosophies and leanings are similar, my beliefs were well established by the time I really understood much about him. He is less someone that influenced me and more someone that I admire. Especially his stance on racial, social and economic justice.
