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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indianapolis park where Robert Kennedy called for peace and unity just hours after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. has officially been designated a National Historic Site.
A bill approved by Congress last month for the designation was signed by President Donald Trump on Tuesday, ahead of Wednesday’s events at the park marking the 50th anniversary of King’s death.
The park near downtown Indianapolis is where Kennedy was to make an April 1968 presidential campaign speech, but instead told the crowd of King’s assassination and asked for a nonviolent reaction.
Participants in Wednesday’s event included Georgia congressman and 1960s civil rights activist John Lewis and Robert Kennedy's daughter, Kerry Kennedy. Lewis will be presented with the Kennedy King Memorial Initiative’s Trailblazer award Wednesday by Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly.
Indianapolis Rep. Andre Carson says he hopes the historic designation is a reminder of the need for non-violence and tolerance.
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