A Ripple of Hope

Donald Boggs' PBS-aired documentary focuses on a brief but extraordinary moment during the 1968 presidential campaign, when Robert F. Kennedy appeared at an Indianapolis rally on the evening of April 4, just hours after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis. Most in the multiethnic crowd were as yet unaware of the murder, and the candidate was even asked by local police and mayor (now Senator) Richard Lugar to cancel the event, out of fears of a race riot. Ignoring suggestions by aides and speechwriters, Kennedy addressed the audience with a deeply felt message, informing them of the killing and offering a rare public acknowledgment of the pain he felt following his brother's assassination five years earlier. This from-the-heart speech was highly unusual in the carefully scripted world of politics (while cause and effect determinations are dicey, the fact remains that Indianapolis, unlike many other American cities, remained calm that night). Interspersed with the historic footage are interviews with surviving members of the campaign team, local reporters, and individual attendees who were moved by what took place. Unfortunately, Boggs provides no background information about the Kennedy-King relationship, which would have been of interest—RFK did not speak of his personal ties to the civil rights leader but rather defined him strictly as a figure within the African-American leadership. Aside from this minor quibble, A Ripple of Hope is both a well-made and compelling documentary. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (P. Hall)