Civil rights icon Andrew Young once said the death of which leader caused the movement to “really fall apart” following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?
Explanation
Answer: E - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s closest associate in the civil rights movement, Andrew Young, once said that, “We didn’t have a chance to grieve after Martin’s death ‘cause we had to keep the Poor People’s Campaign going, and we did... Then, Robert Kennedy got killed and... we really fell apart.” Kennedy was running for president in 1968 and was a champion of the civil rights movement, often considered to be the most prominent white advocate for African-American rights at that time. When King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, Kennedy was in Indianapolis on a campaign stop but dedicated his rally that night (which was in a neighborhood predominantly inhabited by African-American residents) to speaking to the crowd about King and his legacy, rather than giving a campaign stump speech. Though the rally and neighborhood as a whole were expected to erupt in violence like 131 other cities across the country did that night, Kennedy soothed the crowd, and Indianapolis was the only major city in America that did not experience rioting that night. After King’s death, Kennedy became the most prominent advocate for nonviolent action in the cause. Then, on June 4, he was in Los Angeles for the California primary, which he ultimately won. After making his victory speech in the ballroom of the Ambassador Hotel, Kennedy was shot as he made his way through the hotel kitchen. He died on June 6-two months and two days after King. Many Americans felt that the dream of nonviolent social progressivism died with Robert Kennedy.
