Kennedy King Memorial Initiative

In memory of
Abie D. Robinson

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Abie Robinson, an incredible member of the Kennedy King Memorial Initiative family.

Abie Robinson epitomized what Dr. Martin Luther King meant in saying, “Everyone has the power for greatness…because greatness is determined by service.” Abie had a ‘heart full of grace—a soul generated by love’.

On the night that Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, Robert Kennedy was in Indianapolis. He was already scheduled to speak in the urban park at 17th and Broadway.

Many on Kennedy’s team—as well as Indianapolis public officials—urged him to cancel the appearance. Kennedy’s safety was at risk, especially in this predominately African-American neighborhood where the anger over the news could erupt as violence. In fact, in other cities it was already starting to happen.

Kennedy would not be deterred. He went to the park, and stepped onto the makeshift stage in the bed of a pickup truck…

“Do they know about Martin Luther King?”

Off microphone, just before he addressed the crowd, Kennedy can be heard asking about the crowd’s knowledge of King’s death. It was 1968, and news moved much more slowly then. Those near the stage had been there for several hours. They did not know. Yet, many more streaming into the park had heard the awful truth, and were bringing with them their shock and anger. It was a volatile, combustible moment. And then, without notes, Kennedy began to speak…

“I have some very sad news for all of you.”

The reaction was immediate and visceral. Stunned by the revelation, the nearby crowd gasped. People pushed forward, everyone in the park locked onto Kennedy’s words.

They were simple words—direct, revealing, and yet they elevated everyone who heard them above their worst impulses, and delivered them to a place of reflection, forgiveness, and love.

“What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love, and wisdom, and compassion toward one another.”

Just over two months later, Kennedy himself would be assassinated, and the nation experienced another sudden, wrenching loss.

He will be remembered for many things but perhaps none endure as prominently as his memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, where the words he spoke in Indianapolis are engraved.

Because on that night, while cities across the nation erupted in violence, Indianapolis stayed calm. Kennedy’s speech reverberated across the city, working its way deep into the hearts of many, where its power has only grown.