3400 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
The Robert. F Kennedy Inspiration Park opened to the public on Nov. 20th, 2010. It provides space for eating lunch, playing chess and quiet relaxation.
Robert F. Kennedy was a politician that rallied for human rights and became the voice of the people. The Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools, which was once the Ambassador Hotel, was the site of Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination on June 5th 1968. A large marble memorial piece with Robert F. Kennedy’s portrait and quotes are displayed at the front of the schools gates facing Wilshire. The public park provides much-needed green space to one of Los Angeles' most dense urban neighborhoods. The Kennedy Inspiration Park occupies a 19,000-square-foot section of the site fronting Wilshire Boulevard. The following Robert F. Kennedy quote is displayed on the Wilshire side of the school:
“Few will have the greatness to bend history, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all of this generation, it is from the numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is thus shaped, each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, it sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweet down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
Robert F. Kennedy at his last speech on June 5th, 1968 at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Kennedy was addressing his campaign supporters in the Embassy Room of the hotel. Source: Time Life Pictures
Cesar Chavez meets with Robert F. Kennedy after a hunger strike in support of the United Farm Workers Union. Source: Time Life Pictures
This quote is taken from the Day of Affirmation Address he gave in South Africa in 1966, and it’s a perfect reflection of Kennedy’s achievements as a politician. Robert F. Kennedy played a significant role in fighting for civil rights and fought for equality until the day of his assassination. He is known for encouraging groups to make an active voice in the community confront the country’s political parties and to fight for what’s right. Kennedy showed his supported Cesar Chavez the Mexican-American United Farm Workers Union in 1965. The farm workers were able to eventually reach an agreement acknowledging their demands in 1970. He was favored by the Mexican-American community for his passionate support and activism for Chicano rights.
“He walked the streets of the barrio in East Los Angeles, he broke the fast with Cesar Chavez in Delano, and he committed himself to alter the conditions of poverty and discrimination in this country,” John F. Kennedy said. It is speculated that the strong Mexican-American support for Robert F. Kennedy helped him win the California primary in 1960. Throughout the Southwest were Mexican-American support groups and “Viva Kennedy Clubs” that rallied for his presidency. RFK entered the presidential race by opposing the Vietnam war and advocating for the poor and support of minority rights.To this day, Robert F. Kennedy remains a symbol for civil rights and racial equality – awards, monuments and cites are dedicated to his name for his role in fighting for human rights and fair job opportunities.
A map of the schools within the 90005 Zip Code, near the RFK Community Schools. Source: LA Times Neighborhoods
The school was $578 million to develop, making it the nation’s most expensive public school. It accommodates 4200 students. The school is six stories tall and still has some iconic pieces of the Ambassador Hotel preserved – including the famous Cocoanut Grove room. The area is not 53.5% Latino, 32.2% Asian, and 7.4% white. There are 45 other private schools and public schools within a 2 mile radius of the RFK Community Schools Location. Kennedy's legacy is honored in several other public art pieces inside the school. There is a major installation at the entry to the library, a mural in the library and a mural at the foot of an amphitheater.
The school serves as a memorial dedicated to Robert F. Kennedy’s achievements and fight for political justice. On Wilshire, the memorial walls and portrait of Kennedy is called the “Robert F. Kennedy Inspiration Park.” The architects of the school explained that the goal was to not only provide a state-of-the-art school facility, but to also be a community-serving institution that will enrich and inspire the neighborhood. Although there was strong opposition to the demolition of the Ambassador Hotel, the memorial park, preservation of Ambassador Hotel icons, and large open park has been able to calm the neighborhood's arguments and protest. Robert F. Kennedy's support for the Mexican-American community and “Chicano Movement” in the 1960’s, and his high spirit of hope and inspiration, will be forever remembered with the name of the school and the memorial park.
Sources Cited:
Clarke, Thurston (2008). The last campaign: Robert F. Kennedy and 82 days that inspired America. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
Kennedy, Robert F., Kennedy, Maxwell Taylor, ed., Make Gentle the Life of This World: The Vision of Robert F. Kennedy, Orlando, FL: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
L.A. Times Neighborhoods
Newfield, Jack. (1969;1988). Robert Kennedy: A Memoir. Plume.
Submitted by Andrew Lee, Daniel Villa and Cami Devoney
No comments:
Post a Comment