Nov. 9, 1961 - President Kennedy’s associates have sought quietly but without success to open the way for Negroes to attend a speech in Atlanta by Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. The $7.50-a-plate dinner at the Dinkler-Plaza Hotel is being held to honor U.S. Senator Richard B. Russell and Congressman Carl Vinson. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. asserted today that Mr. McNamara’s speech would cause Negroes to wonder “whether the Democratic party merited the overwhelming support received from Negro voters in the last Presidential election.” The sponsors of the dinner on Saturday night at which Mr. NcNamara will speak have said that it is a private affair.
#JFK #history #civilrights #civilrightsmovement #civilrightsactivist #civilrightsmuseum #civilrightsleader #civilrightstosilverrights #civilrightsera #CivilRightsIcon #civilrightswalk #civilrightsactivists #civilrightsmovements #civilrightsphotography #MLK #mlkday #mlkjr #podcast #mlkmemorial