A RIPPLE OF HOPE - Robert F. Kennedy, 1966 [Framed Broadside; Signed by Ethel Kennedy]

n.p.: n.p.. Very Good+. 1973. First American Edition. Broadside. Autograph; This broadside measuring 11"w X 14"h printed on quality linen paper with embossed borders is inscribed at the bottom margin in ink -- "For Kay and Rowly [Evans] ..... Christmas 1973 ..... With love from Ethel [Kennedy]" It presents the essence of RFK's moving and eloquent speech known as the Day of Affirmation Address, or the "Ripple of Hope" Speech. The broadside itself is in very good condition, and it is housed in its original simple gold-toned metalic frame (with various scratches and abrasions to the metal finish). PROVENANCE: This broadside was gifted from Robert F. Kennedy's widow Ethel Kennedy, American human rights advocate, to their dearest friends Kay and Rowland Evans. Rowland Evans, a provocative newspaper columnist, commentator and author who antagonized liberal politicians and championed conservative causes. In 1963, Mr. Evans and Mr. Novak began writing ''Inside Report,'' an insider's view of politics that was published four times a week until Mr. Evans retired in 1993. The pair pioneered in transferring that influence to the medium of cable television with the political discussion program ''Evans & Novak'' -- carried on CNN from that cable network's beginning. Rowland Evans and his wife Kay (Katherine Winton Evans), also a respected writer and editor and ardent liberal Democrat, were mainstays on the Washington social scene, hosting many memorable gatherings in their handsome Georgetown house -- to which flocked influential and remarkable people drawn from journalism, politics and general society over the decades from the 1960s to the 2000s. Kay and Rowland Evans had a particularly close friendship with Robert F. Kennedy Sr., his wife Ethel and their family. The two families often saw each other at their respective homes in Washington and Virginia, and also holidayed and sailed together. Kay Evans and Ethel Kennedy's close friendship endured from the 1960s until Kay's death in 2021. "Senator Robert F. Kennedy's Day of Affirmation Address (also known as the "Ripple of Hope" Speech) is a speech given to National Union of South African Students members at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, on June 6, 1966, on the University's "Day of Reaffirmation of Academic and Human Freedom". ... In the address Kennedy talked about individual liberty, Apartheid, and the need for justice in the United States at a time when the American civil rights movement was ongoing. He emphasized inclusiveness and the importance of youth involvement in society. The speech shook up the political situation in South Africa and received praise in the media. It is often considered his greatest and most famous speech." [Wikipedia] Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. called it "his greatest speech;" Frank Taylor of the London Daily Telegraph "the most stirring and memorable address ever to come from a foreigner in South Africa;" Ian Robertson labeled it "the most important speech of Kennedy's life." The address was inspirational for many anti-Apartheid activists, including the imprisoned Nelson Mandela. The four paragraphs from the speech printed on this broadside comprise the following: "Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest wall of oppression and resistance." "Few are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change. And I believe that in this generation those with the courage to enter the moral conflict will find themselves with companions in every corner of the globe." "For the fortunate among us, there is the temptation to follow the easy and familiar paths of personal ambition and financial success so grandly spread before those who enjoy the privilege of education." But that is not the road history has marked out for us. Like it or not, we live in times of danger and uncertainty. But they are also more open to the creative energy of men than any other time in history... " "The future does not belong to those who are content with today, apathetic toward common problems and their fellow man alike, timid and fearful in the face of new ideas and bold projects. Rather it will belong to those who can blend vision, reason and courage in a personal commitment to the ideals and great enterprises of American Society. --- Robert F. Kennedy, 1966" ; Signed by Notable Personage, Related .