RFK: His Words for Our Times

One would think that political speeches which were over forty years old would lose relevance to today’s problems. It is amazing to this reader that they have even greater relevance to today’s racism, poverty, wealth divide, and international poverty. One would think that a man born into privilege would be the last to espouse the causes of the poorest among us, but that is the journey that Robert F. Kennedy took. He saw the inevitability of the civil rights movement and the disparity in our country of the treatment of those with darker skin. After the death of his brother by gun violence, Kennedy also spoke out against the NRA and lobbied for some sort of gun registration or control. New proposed laws were defeated by the lobbying arm of the NRA.

It is of great interest that although speechwriters were used in drafting some speeches, Kennedy would author the final draft. He was also gifted in impromptu rhetoric as when he famously called for civil peace after the death of Dr. King, likening his grief at his brother’s death to theirs. This book should be read for the history of political movements but also for the humanity that politicians can muster in the face of trying times.