INDIANAPOLIS IS SECOND only to Washington, D.C., in its number of monuments and memorials, and one of its most important just reopened. Located in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park on the near–north side, the Landmark for Peace Memorial commemorates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert Kennedy, placed in the park in memory of events on the date of King’s assassination, April 4, 1968. On that day, Kennedy, who was running for president, was in Indy preparing to deliver a speech when he first learned the news of King’s murder. “His campaign team urged him to cancel, but instead he went on to deliver one of the most iconic speeches,” says Morgan Snyder, vice president of communications and community relations at Visit Indy. “He broke the news to a predominantly Black audience—to listen to the audio is goosebump-inducing,” says Snyder. Only two months later, Kennedy too was assassinated. On April 4, 2026, the Landmark for Peace Memorial reopened after a significant expansion. “This reopening represents both preservation and progress. It’s an opportunity for our community to reflect, learn, and recommit to the values that shaped this historic moment,” says Kennedy-King memorial initiative board president Gregory Porter. The memorial now boasts a new plaza, fresh landscaping, and interpretative walkways commemorating the legacies of King and Kennedy.
