African Americana

Original "Kennedy for President" letter-size mailing envelope containing 4 documents and a smaller pledge envelope, mailed from the San Francisco Kennedy headquarters less than 1 week before Robert Kennedy was assassinated. Hand addressed to Mr. Bill Clifford in Piedmont, CA, during Robert Kennedy's crucial California primary campaign. The 4 separate campaign-related pieces include: a 1p printed promotional essay from Jack Newfield (1938-2004), editor of the Village Voice, entitled "A Look at Kennedy," which discusses Robert F. Kennedy's "ability to reach and stir the black underclass" and his potential to "reconcile America once the Vietman war is over." Newfield states that it is indicative that former SNCC Chairman John Lewis is working for Kennedy, and that only through Kennedy can political insurgents and impoverished African Americans be united. Referencing Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination less than two months earlier, Newfield observes: "The night Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated, Kennedy and John Lindsay were the only two white politicians in American who went into the ghetto - because they were the only two who could." -- A 1p letter addressed to volunteers related to the "Get Out the Vote" operation for the Tuesday, 4 June 1968, California primary election day. -- A 1p letter from Neil V. Sullivan (1914-2005),  a prominent desegregationist and school administrator, promoting the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy and lauding his "calls for a greater commitment of our national resources to the cause of education." -- Double-sided brochure headed "Think of all that has to be done in America in the next four years." Featuring six black and white images of Kennedy with family and on the campaign trail.

Robert F. Kennedy declared his candidacy for President on 16 March 1968 running, in part, on a platform of racial and economic justice. The California primary was a critical marker for the young candidate who was looking for a defining win and a boost to his campaign. Postmarked 31 May 1968, this campaign promotional was mailed days before the 4 June 1968 California primary election, and 6 days before Kennedy was assassinated after addressing his supporters at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. The promotional is also notable for the insertion of the letter from Jack Newfield which included the reference to Martin Luther King's assassination, indicating this scarce piece was not part of RFK's earlier campaign material and would have been utilized for a short duration between April 1968 and June 1968, perhaps only in California.