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He opened up upon meeting Kennedy aide Paul Schrade, who was wounded in the attack, for the first time in decades. Kennedy, the man who had excited Latino, black, poor and anti-Vietnam War voters, was dead at the age of 42.ĭawn Porter, who directed “Bobby Kennedy for President,” said it was an honour to speak to Romero and allow him to share his story for the Netflix documentary. “I felt my hand making a fist to join in,” Romero said. Romero turned and saw a group of men punching the gunman. Wife Ethel Kennedy - at the time pregnant with their 11th child - ran to her injured husband and pushed Romero away. “Everything will be OK,” Kennedy said before losing consciousness.

News photographers captured pictures of Romero next to the bloodied Kennedy - images that would be seen all over the world. Several men, including Olympic gold medallist Rafer Johnson and Los Angeles Rams football player Roosevelt Grier, jumped on the gunman. During that brief pause, a man ran toward Kennedy and opened fire. Did he remember him from the day before? Romero stuck out his hand and Kennedy stopped to shake it. In the kitchen, Kennedy raced through and waved to kitchen staff. Kennedy walked downstairs and decided to go through a hotel kitchen and meet with reporters waiting on the other side.

After his victory speech, Huerta tried to usher Kennedy to another room where mariachis were waiting to play for the victorious candidate. In the Embassy Room, Kennedy thanked supporters, including United Farm Worker co-founder Dolores Huerta. Kennedy won on the strength of Mexican-American and black voters. In some East Los Angeles precincts, polls closed early, not because of irregularities but because everyone had voted. “I had no doubt that I had just met the next president of the United States.” Nothing would stop him from pursuing his dreams, Romero felt. The busboy walked out of Kennedy’s room with complete happiness. “He wasn’t looking at my skin, he wasn’t looking at my age … he was looking at me as an American.” “I will never forget the handshake and the look … looking right at you with those piercing eyes that said, ‘I’m one of you. Kennedy grabbed Romero’s hand with both hands and said, “thank you.” For a moment, there was silence. “All I remember was that I kept staring at him with my mouth open,” Romero said. Kennedy put down the phone and waved Romero to come forward. He saw Kennedy toward the back - one hand held a curtain and the other gripped a phone. Romero was on duty and came into the room with a group of other busboys. The day before the California primary, Kennedy and his aides ordered room service at the Ambassador Hotel. “When I listened to Robert Kennedy, I felt he wasn’t talking at us, but talking to you personally,” Romero said. Kennedy waves goodbye to his supporters as he prepares to leave the Ambassador Hotel ballroom in Los Angeles, before exiting through a kitchen backstage. In this Jfile photo, presidential hopeful Sen. When Robert Kennedy announced he would run for president, Romero got caught up in the excitement. Kennedy had travelled to Mexico and saw footage of Robert Kennedy visiting Mexican-American farm workers in California. Instead, Romero got a job at the Ambassador Hotel as a dishwasher and later a busboy.Īt the time, the young Romero didn’t understand politics.

Article contentīut Romero’s stepfather “ruled with an iron hand,” and the teen feared he’d face trouble at home if he took part. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.