Wikipedia:Today's featured article/requests/On the Mindless Menace of Violence

On the Mindless Menace of Violence

 * This is the archived discussion of the TFAR nomination for the article below. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as Wikipedia talk:Today's featured article/requests). Please do not modify this page. 

The result was: scheduled for Today's featured article/April 5, 2018 by Jimfbleak - talk to me?  07:25, 14 March 2018 (UTC)



"On the Mindless Menace of Violence" was a speech given by United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy in front of the City Club of Cleveland at the Sheraton-Cleveland Hotel on April 5, 1968, the day after the assassination of African-American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Race riots had subsequently broken out across the United States and, though he had delivered improvised remarks on King's death in the evening, Kennedy was convinced by community leaders to make another speech the following day. He spoke for 10 minutes in a tragic mode before 2,200 people, seeking to counter the riots and address the growing problem of violence in American society. He criticized both the rioters and the white establishment who, from his perspective, were responsible for the deterioration of social conditions in the United States. He proposed no specific solutions to the internal division and conflict, but admonished his audience to seek common ground and try to cooperate with other Americans. Kennedy's speech received much less attention than his earlier remarks and was largely forgotten by the news media. Regardless, several of his aides considered it to be among his finest orations. Journalist Jack Newfield believed that the address was a suitable epitaph for the senator, who was himself assassinated two months later.
 * Most recent similar article(s): Nothing I have been able to find
 * Main editors:
 * Promoted: July 26, 2017
 * Reasons for nomination: If chosen for TFA for April 5, 2018, it would be the 50th anniversary of the speech. Though it is not a very famous speech, it has gotten more attention in recent years in the United States in the context of ongoing domestic gun violence and race relations problems. This would be my first TFA.
 * Support as nominator. Indy beetle (talk) 02:56, 9 March 2018 (UTC)


 * Support- recently promoted and fairly unique topic. Milestone anniversary this year, too, as mentioned. Mojo0306 (talk) 16:01, 10 March 2018 (UTC)