A Ripple of Hope : Discussion Guide
Developed by Heartland Truly Moving Pictures to accompany A Ripple of Hope, recipient of the Truly Moving Picture Award, an honored distinction given to films that unlock the vast potential of the human spirit and enable us to view stories that display courage, integrity and hope, taking entertainment to a higher level.
Synopsis
It was April 4, 1968. At 6:01 p.m., across the street from the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, a gunman fired a rifle—and the leader of the civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., lay mortally wounded. As news of King’s assassination spread, American cities were engulfed in chaos and fear. Urban areas erupted in riots. Fires burned out of control. Dozens of people were killed. Robert F. Kennedy, meanwhile, was en route to Indianapolis, where at 9 p.m. he was scheduled to make a campaign appearance in an African-American neighborhood. Pressing questions arose: Should Kennedy venture into the heart of the Indianapolis inner city and talk to the potentially volatile crowd gathered in a park? What could he say that would assuage their grief? Should he defy the Indianapolis city officials who ordered him to stay away? Would his life be in danger? Kennedy didn’t blink. Despite the violence raging across the country, he courageously kept his promise to speak, climbing up on a shaky flatbed truck and delivering a moving, extemporaneous plea for peace and reconciliation—a talk that eventually would be regarded as one of the great political speeches of the twentieth century. A Ripple of Hope draws on interviews with Kennedy aides and associates, as well as “everyday people” who were in the crowd that night, to tell the story of an inspiring moment in American history that is extraordinarily relevant today. The film was produced by Anderson University’s Covenant Productions and directed by Donald Boggs with music by Grammy Award winner John Colby.
Setting the Story
A Ripple of Hope details a single day in 1968, the day Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. However, 1968 was a year filled with numerous events that impacted American history. Below is a brief outline of some of the significant events in 1968.
January 31: The Tet Offensive begins. This was a military operation during Vietnam where the National Liberation Front for South Vietnam and the People’s Army of Vietnam fought against the Republic of Vietnam, the United States and their allies, began.
February 2: Richard Nixon announces his candidacy for President.
March 16: Senator Robert F. Kennedy, announces he will enter the the 1968 Presidential race.
March 31: Lyndon B. Johnson announces he will not run for a second term in office.
April 4: Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN. Robert F. Kennedy delivers his powerful speech and eulogy for MLK at 17th and Broadway in Indianapolis, IN.
June 5: Robert F. Kenney is shot in the early morning by Sirhan Sirhan after addressing supporters on the night of the California Primary. He died the morning of June 6.
August 8: Richard Nixon is nominated as the Republican Presidential Candidate at the Republican National
Convention.
August 28: In a turbulent year for the Democratic party, and in the midst of protests, riots and some violent police action, Hubert Humphrey is nominated as the Democratic Presidential Candidate at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
October 11: Apollo 7 is launched into orbit for 11 days.
October 31: President Johnson announces that the US is halting all bombing in North Vietnam.
November 5: In a very close race, Richard Nixon wins the US Presidency.
December 21: Apollo 8 launches. It is the first US mission to orbit the Moon.
Discussion Points
After watching A Ripple of Hope, discuss some of the racial struggles that were present in 1968 that are not present today. What racial struggles still persist today, more than 40 years later? Are there new struggles today that didn’t exist 40 years ago? What are they?
Consider the different viewpoints of people interviewed in A Ripple of Hope. Discuss the differences and similarities in their experience and perspectives on April 4, 1968.
As Robert F. Kennedy stands before a crowd on the verge of a riot, what do you believe was the most important part of his speech? What do you believe most resonated with those gathered? Why?
When Kennedy speaks to the crowd, he states “For those of you who are black and are tempted to be filled with hatred and mistrust of the injustice of such an act, against all white people, I would only say that I can also feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling. I had a member of my family killed, but he was killed by a white man.”
What impact do you believe Kennedy’s understanding had on the crowd? Do you believe that understanding other’s life experiences is a key component to racial reconciliation?