50 Years Later, JFK Assassination Remembered

For millions of Americans, the 1960s had enormous influence on the way we live today. Of all the iconic events of the decade, one stands out in everyone’s mind: the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. 

In observance of this tragedy, throughout November 2013, the Troy Public Library will present "The 1960s: A Look Back: An Observance of the 50th Anniversary of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy." We will explore this pivotal decade to understand the events that shaped so much of today’s world.

“The assassination of President John Kennedy is a key event in the past half century of U.S. history,” explains Cathy Russ, Troy Library Director.  “Many people and much subsequent history were impacted by what happened in Dallas in 1963.

“On its 50th anniversary, the assassination is sure to be much-discussed in our schools and community, and in the media,” Russ continued. “We want to make sure the Troy Public Library is at the center of this discussion.”

According to Assistant Library Director Phillip Kwik, “We created these programs to show a cross section of the 1960s from history and popular culture. We hope to generate interest in and promote discussion about these significant events that have shaped our lives. We encourage everyone to attend and share your views.”

The November events at the Library include:

• November 5 and 12, 6:30 pm: Troy Police Officer Jay Hernandez will take us through The Kennedy Assassination 50 Years Later: Uncovering the Truth. What did we know about the assassination in 1963 and what do we know today? Why do 75 percent of Americans not believe the assassination was the work of a lone gunman? Find out what recently unclassified government files reveal.

• November 17, 1:15 pm: Join us for a viewing of JFK, a movie by Oliver Stone, starring Kevin Costner. This critically-acclaimed box office success about the mystery surrounding the shots that killed President Kennedy is one of Stone’s most provocative films, and is sure to prompt much discussion.

• November 19, 6:30 pm: The Library welcomes Wayne State University Assistant Professor Danielle McGuire, to discuss Kennedy and the Civil Rights Movement: An Uneasy Relationship. McGuire is author of the award-winning "At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance – a New History of the Civil Right Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power." For his first two years in office, Kennedy did all he could to stymie the emerging freedom struggle. Yet, by 1963, he was a righteous defender of racial equality and civil rights. What happened to change him?
  
  
• November 23, at 2 pm: Peace, man! Come to the Library’s Youth Services Craft Room to make Flower Power Headbands. Using simple paper flowers and bands, we will celebrate the spirit of the 1960s.This program is designed for ages 4 years and up.

• November 26, 6:30 pm: When Kennedy was killed in Dallas, the world changed. What if you could change it back? Join us for a Special Book Discussion on "11/22/63", Stephen King’s fictionalized account of the Kennedy assassination. King asks: Would you time-travel to stop the assassination of a President? If you did, how would your actions change the world? King lovers, conspiracy theorists, alternative history enthusiasts – this one is for you.

• November 30, at 1:30 pm: Teens are invited to take part in Mission Moon. Learn about the physics of space exploration with high school and college instructor Rick Forrest, and build your own model rocket. Weather permitting, we will launch a rocket into the sky outside the Library.

The 1960s: A Look Back is funded through the gracious support of the Friends of the Troy Public Library. Visit the Friends on Facebook at facebook.com/friendstpl.

To register for any of the above events, go to the Library’s website at troylibrary.info, and click on the Library Programs Calendar on the left, or call (248) 524-3542.  The Troy Public Library is located at 510 West Big Beaver Rd.

Source: Troy Public Library