John F. Kennedy served as the president of the United States for just over two years before his term in office, and his life, ended in tragedy.
His assassination on November 22, 1963 in Dallas marked a moment in history that will forever be remembered.
While Kennedy’s life was taken, his legacy lives on.
He was elected during the peak of the civil rights movement and part of his political agenda was to uphold America’s promise of equality and address its tumultuous history of racial discrimination.
Some black Americans thought of Kennedy as an ally and others say he helped pave the way for America to elect its first African-American president.
On the 50th anniversary of his assassination, theGrio’s Lilly Workneh discussed Kennedy’s life and legacy, as they relate to his impact on black Americans, with key political and media figures.
Among those featured are: Bob Herbert, former New York Times columnist; Dorian Warren, activist and professor at Columbia University; Karen Finney, host of MSNBC’s ‘Disrupt’; Touré, cultural critic and co-host of MSNBC’s The Cycle; Goldie Taylor, columnist writer for theGrio and MSNBC contributor; James Peterson, Director of Africana Studies at Lehigh University and MSNBC contributor; and Rep. Charles Rangel, congressman from New York.
Watch the video above to hear their thoughts and tell us yours below. How did JFK impact black America?
Follow Lilly Workneh on Twitter @Lilly_Works