uncomfortable york tour

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The Uncomfortable York Tour

Experience a unique tour of York highlighting diverse stories of race, gender, class, and legacies of empire.

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• Saturday April 27 11:00 AM
• Saturday May 25 11:00 AM
• Saturday June 1 11:00 AM
• Saturday June 8 11:00 AM
• Saturday June 15 11:00 AM
• More options

Meet at the Statue of Queen Elizabeth II on front (west) doors of York Minster

Refund Policy

About this event.

Join us on a unique walking tour of the city, highlighting diverse stories and untold histories.

Walking through the beautiful city centre, you will learn about the contentious state of historical memory, the impact of class and gender on the layout of the city, and uncover the experiences of LGBTQIA+ and racialised peoples from York's past.

This tour invites attendees to will see beneath the surface and uncover the lesser know histories of York.

The tour was written and researched by academic historians and is delivered by trained guides. It asks questions that provoke new ways of seeing the city landscape and its history.

This tour is being launched as part of a UK-wide expansion of the social enterprise Uncomfortable Oxford and is kindly supported by the University of York Institute for the Public Understanding of the Past (IPUP).

Accessibility

The tour features several stops around the centre of York over the course of 1.5 hours. Tour contains no stairs or curbs, but please note sometimes uneven pavement in the city centre and crowding on busy days.

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• York Events
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How to Talk About York’s Past: The Uncomfortable York Tour

Vision was invited to a test guide tour of the more difficult and uncomfortable history behind York's historic sites ahead of the York Festival of Ideas

York is a stunning city regardless of the season, but in the clear skies, the magnificence and beauty of York Minster was at its best, as we, a group of postgraduate and undergraduate History students, and a representative from Visit York who studied at UOY in the eighties, gathered besides the statue of the Roman Emperor Constantine.

It was a gloriously sunny day on Saturday 27th of May, and we were embarking on a 90 minute test-tour of the city to discuss “uncomfortable” aspects of York’s history and how shady elements of the past lie behind the physical beauty of its buildings.

The Uncomfortable York Tour is a project that’s being launched by a group of ex and current postgraduates at the University of York who specialise in Public History. It’s part of the Uncomfortable Cities scheme, which is an emerging initiative being established in British cities as an extension of Uncomfortable Oxford Ltd. In recent years, given the #BLM movement and the aftermath of the pulling down of the Edward Colston statue in Bristol in June 2020, conversations about colonial legacies in British history are extremely prevalent.

We as historians have felt an obligation to navigate these discourses by trying to ensure productive outcomes, ensure these histories are not suppressed by the government, corporations or other elites, whilst also ensuring difficult history is acknowledged rather than erased.

Acknowledgement was a big theme of discussions around the tour, which started off at York Minster, then going to sites of York’s chocolate heritage, before finishing in the Executions Square in Tower Gardens by Clifford’s Tower. These tours are specifically designed to encourage discussions amongst the group as to how we go about addressing the nature of our history and how we change things for the future. Managed superbly by our three guides (Charlie, and two postgrad interns, Esme Boore and Sophia Nicol), discussions were free-flowing, provocative and involved all of the group.

To many, York is not a city with obvious colonial links. It is not a port city like London, Liverpool or Glasgow. But by walking between some of York’s greatest monuments, under the surface these colonial stains become quickly too noticeable to ignore. For example, as part of the Church of England, the York Minster has profited from the Slave Trade, and the Church was one of the major beneficiaries of the compensation payments made by the state after the abolition of slavery in 1833. The Minster is one of the most visually stunning ecclesiastical sites in England, but how much of its upkeep in, particularly the Early Modern Period, was possible because of Church profiteering in slavery remains to be established.

Another key focus of the tour was York’s Chocolate heritage, something which the city proudly promotes and is a key factor behind the 8.4 million tourists that visit each year. But as we walk round various sites, plenty of uncomfortable subjects arise, particularly around the colonial importation of sugar, conditions on farms in both the past and the present, and how much of these heritage tours are restricted by what Nestlé, who own’s Rowntree’s, wants us to know.

How are influential female York chocolatiers, such as Mary Craven, portrayed in these official company narratives, how are the lives of ordinary workers (both in York and abroad) portrayed? These are some of the questions which bring to light these aspects usually ignored in the positively-spun tours currently offered in the city.

And why does these issues matter to University students especially? Well, even if we don’t decide to live in and around York once we finish our degrees, we are a beating part of the city whilst studying here. We live, we eat, we study (and let’s not forget) party in York. Partaking on tours such as these are a way of developing a deeper knowledge with the city and perhaps even obtaining a closer connection. When University buildings and colleges are named after Constantine, Seebholm Rowntree etc. it is important for studies to be aware of a fuller history behind the names appearing across the University.

Ultimately, this tour was an immensely thought-provoking and educational experience. The people behind it, with the support of the Rowntree Society and the University’s Institute for the Public Understanding of the Past, are doing a great job at sensitively handling these controversial and dark aspects of York’s past. There was recognition of suppressed voices in these narratives and an effort to detoxify public debate around our national as well as local legacies. This will help everyone realise the continuations of such events in the present day, be they accusations of antisemitism at the University, neocolonialism in the Global South by corporations like Nestlé, or the continued state suppression of our imperial legacies at schools. Hopefully, when the tours go ahead, they well help build a better future by encompassing greater awareness of our past.

Charlie Cayzer, the Research & Development Officer, gave Vision the following comment:

“Our heritage tours seek to encourage discussion about uncomfortable histories and issues within British cities. Our directors started in Oxford in 2018, with tours that address legacies of elitism and racism, and we’re now expanding across the UK. We’re thrilled to be launching our tours in partnership with the York Festival Of Ideas 2023 Programme. We’ll be running free tours for the public on Saturdays 3rd, Sunday 4th, Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th June. We’re hoping to set-up regular tours later in the summer, for which we’ll be recruiting new guides. Keep your eyes peeled for our advertisements!”

You can find details about the Uncomfortable York tour here on the University website, their own website or follow them on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok.

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Shakira announces 2024 U.S. tour. Get tickets today

The “She Wolf” is coming out of her cage.

For the first time since 2018, Shakira will officially tour North America as part of her upcoming ‘LAS MUJERES YA NO LLORAN WORLD TOUR’ (which translates to “women no longer cry”).

Midway through the 14-concert run, the three-time Grammy winner is scheduled to stop in at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Thursday, Dec. 5.

At all shows, fans can expect to hear cuts from the Colombian icon’s recently released album that shares a name with the tour.

Hits like “Hips Don’t Lie,” “Whenever, Wherever,” and “Dia De Enero” will likely sneak into the setlist as well.

For those who can’t wait to get their hands on tickets, they can be secured as soon as today.

Although inventory isn’t available on Ticketmaster until Monday, April 22, fans who want to ensure they have tickets ahead of time can purchase on sites like Vivid Seats before tickets are officially on sale.

Vivid Seats is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.

They have a 100% buyer guarantee that states your transaction will be safe and secure and will be delivered before the event.

A complete calendar including all tour dates, venues, and links to buy tickets can be found below.

On March 22, Shakira released her 12th studio album “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran.”

Comprised of 17 tracks featuring big-name collaborators like Cardi B, Bizarrap, Grupo Frontera, Rauw Alejandro, and Ozuna among others, the 47-year-old songstress sticks to español this time around. However, whether or not you speak Spanish is beside the point; Shakira’s music this time around is so catchy that you won’t mind looking up what the lyrics mean on Google Translate.

Highlights include the dance floor-ready hit “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” the infectious mariachi-inspired “El Jefe” with Fuerza Regida, and the icy “TQG” featuring Karol G.

While the whole album slaps, we’d be remiss if we didn’t shout our favorite track: the disco-flavored “Cohete.” We can’t stop listening.

Want to check it out for yourself? You can find “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” here .

Prior to announcing the tour, Shakira surprised the crowd at at Coachella on Friday, April 12 when she performed “La Fuerte” and “BZRP Music Sessions, Vol. 53” alongside Bizzarap.

A raucous fan video can be seen here:

Many Latin icons are on the road all year long.

Here are just five of our favorites you won’t want to miss live.

•  Jennifer Lopez

•  Fuerza Regida

• Gloria Trevi

Who else is out and about? Take a look at our list of the 50 biggest concert tours in 2024 to find out.

This article was written by Matt Levy , New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements for your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed Bruce Springsteen and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.

Vivid Seats is the New York Post's official ticketing partner. We may receive revenue from this partnership for sharing this content and/or when you make a purchase.

Sat, 06 Jul

Meet outside Bennett's Cafe & Bistro

York Uncovered - Walking Tour

Experience a unique tour of the historic city highlighting diverse histories.

Time & Location

06 Jul 2024, 11:00 – 12:30 BST

Meet outside Bennett's Cafe & Bistro, 30-32 High Petergate, York YO1 7EH, UK

About the event

Join us on an insightful walking tour of the city, highlighting untold histories and diverse stories.

Walking through the beautiful medieval centre, you will go beyond the conventional stories of York, hearing about the impact of women, people of colour, and LGBTQIA+ individuals from York's past. This tour invites attendees to see beneath the surface and uncover the lesser know narratives of York, while giving a general overview of the city and its history.

The tour was written and researched by academic historians and is delivered by trained guides. It asks questions that provoke new ways of seeing the city landscape and its history.

This tour is being launched as part of a UK-wide expansion of the social enterprise Uncomfortable Oxford and is kindly supported by the University of York Institute for the Public Understanding of the Past (IPUP). 

*Accessibility:*

The tour features several stops around the centre of York over the course of 1.5 hours. Tour contains no stairs or curbs, but please note sometimes uneven pavement in the city centre and crowding on busy days.

+£0.25 service fee

+£0.20 service fee

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2023 Festival

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The Uncomfortable York Tour

• Date and time: Sunday 11 June 2023, 1pm to 2.30pm
• Location: Minster Yard ( Map )
• Admission: Free admission, booking required

Event details

Explore York from a different perspective on this guided walking tour.

Travel back in time to find out about some of the more difficult aspects in the history of our city, and to learn about York’s industrial heritage and its colonial significance as ‘chocolate city’. 

Visit famous locations and discover lesser-known sites to see how the city was shaped by the imperial project and how this can still be observed in York today.

Accessibility: While walking tours inherently involve a physical barrier to participation, we seek to minimise the presence of stairs and hills along the route to prioritise accessibility for attendees.

Tour guides are trained to lead discussions of the difficult histories with respect and sensitivity. At moments that risk emotional distress, attendees will be alerted to potential triggers in upcoming topics.

Meet by the statue of Constantine the Great at 4 Minster Yard.

This event is free, but donations are welcome.

Uncomfortable York

This heritage tour is part of a UK-wide expansion of the social enterprise Uncomfortable Oxford Ltd and kindly supported by the University of York’s Institute for the Public Understanding of the Past (IPUP) and the Rowntree Society . The tours are written and researched by academic experts and delivered by trained guides. They ask questions that provoke new ways of seeing the city landscape and its history, encouraging attendees to bring their personal experiences and views to the group discussion.

Find out more about Uncomfortable York

Election Updates: An Arizona lawmaker accused of forging voters’ names resigns from Turning Point Action.

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Nicholas Nehamas

The Biden campaign has said little about former President Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan, which began this week. But when the campaign has weighed in, its target has been Trump appearing to fall asleep in court. “Verdict’s In: Sleepy Don Has a Nightmare Week,” blared a news release from the Biden campaign this afternoon. Trump has previously referred to Biden as “Sleepy Joe.”

Neil Vigdor

In a new court filing, the Justice Department sided with voting rights groups that are suing Georgia over the battleground state’s requirement for absentee ballot applications to be signed with a pen. The plaintiffs say that the “wet signature” requirement, part of a contentious election law ushered in by Republicans in 2021, violates civil rights protections and is a form of disenfranchisement.

Peter Baker

President Biden assailed former President Donald J. Trump at a union event as one of a class of plutocrats who pay little in taxes and do not care about workers. “They learned that telling people ‘you’re fired’ is something to be laughed about,” Biden told the IBEW Construction and Maintenance Conference. “Not where I was raised. I guess that’s how they look at the world from Park Avenue and Mar-a-Lago.”

Michael Gold

The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee, which the campaign has effectively taken over, announced a plan to train and deploy more than 100,000 volunteers and lawyers in battleground states as part of what they call election integrity efforts. Their goal is to have a network of poll watchers to monitor vote counting, and lawyers ready to challenge perceived issues.

Former Vice President Mike Pence is rallying to defend Mike Johnson, the embattled speaker of the House whom a faction of Republicans is seeking to remove in the latest intraparty squabble. In a social media post on Thursday, Pence commended Johnson, “who I consider a personal friend, for demonstrating moral courage in this moment, in a very difficult time.”

An Arizona lawmaker accused of forging voters’ names resigns from Turning Point Action.

A senior director for the pro-Trump group Turning Point Action resigned from his post on Thursday and abruptly withdrew his re-election bid in Arizona, three days after being accused in a court complaint of forging voters’ signatures.

It was dramatic turnabout for Austin Smith, a House member in his first term representing parts of northwestern Maricopa County. He has been a vocal election skeptic in Arizona, a battleground state.

On Monday, Mr. Smith was named in a complaint filed in state Superior Court by one of his constituents, a Democrat named James Ashurst, who said that dozens of signatures on Mr. Smith’s petitions to qualify for the July 30 Republican primary ballot had resembled Mr. Smith’s own handwriting.

Mr. Smith, 28, who has repeatedly attempted to sow doubt about the results of the 2020 election in Arizona, denied any wrongdoing in a post on social media on Thursday, but said he could not afford the financial burden of defending himself in protracted litigation. He said Democrats had engineered the complaint against him.

“If they could convince a judge that any one signature was forged, all of my signatures would be invalidated and I would get kicked off the ballot,” he wrote on X . “And as per Arizona law I would also be banned from seeking office for five years.”

He added: “To protect my family today, I’ll withdraw as a candidate.”

Mr. Smith’s campaign website prominently features a section on election integrity and photos of him with former President Donald Trump and Kari Lake, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate who has refused to accept the results of the 2020 presidential election and her 2022 defeat in the governor’s race.

In a social media post last May, Mr. Smith impugned the process for checking voters’ signatures.

“Signature verification in Maricopa County is a joke,” he said at the time.

Mr. Smith did not immediately respond to requests on Friday for further comment.

His resignation from Turning Point Action, which was first reported by The Washington Post , was confirmed by a spokesman for the group on Friday. The organization is a political arm of Turning Point USA, a pro-Trump grass-roots group focusing on millennial conservatives that was founded by Charlie Kirk.

The Arizona secretary of state’s office said on Friday that it had referred the complaint, along with 12 other cases, to the Arizona attorney general’s office for review. Both positions are held by Democrats.

“The determination of fraud or forgery and potential charges is currently in the hands of the attorney general and those prosecutors,” Adrian Fontes, the secretary of state, said in a statement.

A spokesman for Kris Mayes, the state’s attorney general, said on Friday that the office could not comment about a potential criminal investigation.

Clint L. Hickman, a member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and a Republican, who has faced threats for refusing to help Mr. Trump overturn his loss in Arizona during the 2020 election, said in a statement on Thursday that Mr. Smith should leave office.

“I’m not one to hold back or mince words so I will say what is as clear as day: House Representative Austin Smith should resign immediately,” he said. “This is a man who has lied to the people of Legislative District 29 and the entire state about our election operations for at least three years. And now he is accused of lying about the signatures he personally collected to get on the ballot again.”

Several of the purported signers of Mr. Smith’s petitions stated that they had never given him their names, according to declarations that were included in the complaint.

“When caught red handed, his first reaction was to pretend he’s the victim and blame those who admirably stepped forward to say they hadn’t signed the petition,” Mr. Ashurst, the person who filed the complaint, said in a statement.

Chris Cameron

Biden spoke at a trade union conference, while Trump was on trial in New York.

President Biden spoke today at a conference in Washington, D.C., for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, a labor union, while former President Donald J. Trump was back in court for his felony criminal trial in New York.

Mr. Biden assailed his rival as one of a class of plutocrats who pay little in taxes and do not care about American workers.

“They learned that telling people ‘you’re fired’ is something to be laughed about,” Mr. Biden said. “Not where I come from. Not where I was raised. I guess that’s how they look at the world from Park Avenue and Mar-a-Lago.”

Today’s schedule reflects a dynamic that has been playing out all week and will continue for some time: Mr. Trump must be present for the duration of his trial on charges of falsifying business records in an attempt to cover up a payment to a porn star. That leaves him spending a lot of time in New York, and limits his ability to campaign in swing states.

Mr. Trump had earlier tried to make light of his predicament, suggesting on Tuesday during a visit to a bodega in Harlem that he would try to campaign in New York while on trial in an effort to flip the deep-blue state for Republicans. Appearing outside the courthouse on Thursday, however, Mr. Trump was clearly irritated by the fact that he could not leave New York.

“I’m supposed to be in Georgia, I’m supposed to be in North Carolina, South Carolina, I’m supposed to be in a lot of different places campaigning,” Mr. Trump said. He flipped through a stack of articles expressing support for him during the trial, which he read aloud for members of the news media. “I’m sitting here for days now, from morning till night, in that freezing room. Freezing. Everybody’s freezing in there.”

While Mr. Trump was otherwise occupied, Mr. Biden took a moment on the campaign trail to confront another presidential rival, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. A broad coalition of the Kennedy family, a storied political dynasty, endorsed Mr. Biden during a campaign rally on Thursday in Philadelphia, reflecting the family’s estrangement from Mr. Kennedy and his presidential campaign and escalating efforts by the Biden campaign to confront a threat to Mr. Biden’s re-election chances.

Mr. Kennedy’s chances of winning the election outright at this point are slim, but both major candidates are confronting the possibility that Mr. Kennedy could act as a spoiler — taking enough votes from either Mr. Biden or Mr. Trump in battleground states to sway the election. That scenario became more plausible on Thursday, as Mr. Kennedy secured a spot on the general election ballot in Michigan , a state that is part of the Democrats’ so-called blue wall .

Mr. Trump and his campaign had initially praised Mr. Kennedy’s candidacy , back when he was running as a Democrat against Mr. Biden. Now he is running as an independent, and with polls suggesting that Mr. Kennedy is taking at least some votes away from Mr. Trump, the former president has in recent days become more pointedly critical of Mr. Kennedy .

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is — as you know — the most radical left candidate in the race,” Mr. Trump said last week, adding, “I guess that would mean that R.F.K. Jr. is going to be taking away votes” from Mr. Biden and “if I were a Democrat, I’d vote for R.F.K. Jr. every single time over Biden.”

In response, Mr. Kennedy claimed that he had been approached to be Mr. Trump’s running mate. Mr. Trump had privately floated the idea of a Trump-Kennedy ticket to his advisers, although it is considered to be unlikely.

“President Trump calls me an ultra-left radical,” Mr. Kennedy said on social media . “I’m soooo liberal that his emissaries asked me to be his VP. I respectfully declined the offer.”

Peter Baker contributed reporting.

Adam Nagourney ,  Nicholas Nehamas and Michael Gold

Adam Nagourney reported from Los Angeles, and Nicholas Nehamas and Michael Gold from Philadelphia.

News Analysis

Biden, eyeing the threat from R.F.K. Jr., turns to his famous family for help.

Kennedy family endorses president biden, at a campaign rally in philadelphia, members of the kennedy family endorsed president biden, rejecting one of their own, robert f. kennedy jr., an independent candidate..

I’m joined here today with my sisters, Kathleen and Rory, with Joe and Chris and Max. And with my hero, President Joe Biden. We want to make crystal clear our feeling that the best way forward for America is to re-elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to four more years. That’s right, the Kennedy family endorses Joe Biden for president.

The elaborate rollout of a Kennedy family endorsement of President Biden on Thursday — talk-show interviews, a campaign event with the president — was the most powerful sign yet of rising concern in the Biden camp that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent White House bid presents a serious threat to the president’s re-election prospects.

Members of this prominent Democratic family, including most of Mr. Kennedy’s siblings, had already signaled their support for Mr. Biden. Mr. Kennedy’s estrangement from much of his family had grown increasingly apparent over the years, as he became a leading spokesman against Covid vaccines and promoted conspiratorial theories about the 1968 assassination of his father, Robert F. Kennedy.

But this was the first time Mr. Biden’s campaign had been so aggressively involved in promoting the Kennedys’ strong backing of the president, making an open push to discredit any enduring Democratic credentials Robert F. Kennedy Jr. carries because of his family name.

After leaving the work to outside liberal groups , the Biden campaign has now joined the effort to define Mr. Kennedy beyond the gauzy memory of his father and two uncles, who for many members of Mr. Biden’s fraying coalition, including Black voters, Latinos and blue-collar workers, continue to symbolize Democratic politics in America.

Democratic worries about Mr. Kennedy have grown as he has turned up his attacks on the president and worked to win ballot lines in critical battleground states. Michigan election officials announced on Thursday that he had secured a spot as a member of a little-known third party.

“I can only imagine how Donald Trump’s outrageous lies and behavior would horrify my father, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, who proudly served as attorney general of the United States, and honored his pledge to uphold the law and protect the country,” Kerry Kennedy, one of the independent presidential candidate’s siblings, said as she stood next to Mr. Biden, addressing about 150 people at a recreation center gym in Philadelphia. “Daddy stood for equal justice, for human rights and freedom from want and fear. Just as President Biden does today.”

“Nearly every single grandchild of Joe and Rose Kennedy supports Joe Biden,” she said. “That’s right: The Kennedy family endorses Joe Biden for president.”

Responding on social media, Mr. Kennedy avoided engaging with his family’s rejection of his candidacy.

“I hear some of my family will be endorsing President Biden today,” he wrote . “I am pleased they are politically active — it’s a family tradition. We are divided in our opinions but united in our love for each other.”

Mr. Biden, thanking the Kennedy family for its support, spoke repeatedly about how much the Kennedys — in particular John and Robert F. Kennedy — had shaped his views and political career.

“Today I sit behind the Resolute Desk where President John F. Kennedy once sat,” he said. “I sit at that desk and I look in front of the fireplace. To the left is a bust of Martin Luther King. To the right is a bust of your dad.”

In truth, the debate remains open about whether a Kennedy candidacy hurts Mr. Biden more than it hurts former President Donald J. Trump. (One point of agreement between the two major candidates’ camps is that there is little chance Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could win the White House himself.)

Mr. Biden’s advisers argued that Democrats who might be drawn to the Kennedy name will drift away as they learn more about his promotion of conspiracy theories and the financial support that a major Trump donor has given to his super PAC .

Voters have expressed increasing disapproval of Mr. Kennedy, according to 538’s polling average . As Mr. Kennedy has earned more exposure from the news media over the last month, the percentage of Americans with an unfavorable view of him has increased by roughly six percentage points. In Wisconsin, a key battleground, Mr. Kennedy is taking more votes from independents and Republicans than from Democrats, according to an April poll by Marquette Law School .

Still, given the tough re-election fight Mr. Biden faces, his campaign is moving forcefully, and the events on Thursday were the latest example of that.

While the Kennedy family is not what it once was in American politics, fading in relevance for a new generation of voters who may be more familiar with the Clintons than the Kennedys, it is still potentially influential among the kinds of voters in battleground states like Pennsylvania who appear at risk of moving to Mr. Trump.

“There’s a very famous tour that J.F.K. did of smaller western Pennsylvania towns in the ’62 midterms,” said Conor Lamb, a Democratic former congressman from Pennsylvania. “There’s still pictures on the walls in every one of those towns of Kennedy being there and how much he meant to them.”

At 70, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. looks very much like his father and his uncles, John and Edward M. Kennedy. In the Kennedy family, he had — before his ideological drift in recent years — been viewed as the most politically gifted of Robert F. Kennedy’s children, with the most potential to embark on his own career in elective politics.

Now, though, a Democratic president’s campaign is seeking to define him as a candidate who, despite his name and legacy, is more politically aligned with Mr. Trump than with the Kennedy whose portrait appears on those walls in western Pennsylvania.

“You put the name Kennedy on the ballot and Democrats are going to feel torn,” Joseph P. Kennedy II said in an interview after the event. “And we are trying to make them understand that this is an issue that they do not have to feel torn about.”

Asked if he would encourage his brother to drop out, he said, “Of course I would.”

Still, if Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stays in the race, Democrats hope that they can ensure his support comes mainly from voters who might otherwise have backed Mr. Trump, at once bolstering Mr. Biden and weakening his Republican rival. Mr. Trump seems wary of this danger, and has stepped up on his attacks on Mr. Kennedy , trying to paint him as part of the “radical left.”

The main super PAC supporting Mr. Trump, MAGA Inc., introduced a website this week pushing those attacks, criticizing Mr. Kennedy over his policies on taxes, gun control and climate change. (The website’s name uses Mr. Kennedy’s initials to call him “radical” and an epithet used to express disdain.)

Still, Mr. Trump has privately spoken with associates about the notion of choosing Mr. Kennedy as his running mate, though it is unclear if he is serious about the idea. When pressed at a campaign stop in Harlem on Tuesday, Mr. Trump described Mr. Kennedy as a “nice guy” and a “good person.” Mr. Kennedy has said he would not accept a spot on a Trump ticket.

After the endorsement event, Joseph P. Kennedy II and Joseph P. Kennedy III, a former Democratic congressman from Massachusetts, met with residents at a lush community garden in a quiet residential neighborhood of Philadelphia that has been gentrifying.

One man tried to give the younger Kennedy two baseball caps for Philly sports teams. “I know you’re never supposed to reject a gift,” Mr. Kennedy joked as he held them.

He then encouraged the roughly dozen people there to volunteer for the Biden campaign, arguing that their help could decide the election.

Maggie Astor

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be on the general election ballot in Michigan.

On the same day that more than a dozen members of his family endorsed President Biden , Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Thursday that he had secured a spot on the ballot in Michigan, one of the swing states likely to decide the election.

The Natural Law Party, which has ballot access in Michigan, nominated Mr. Kennedy and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, for president and vice president. A spokeswoman for the Michigan secretary of state’s office confirmed that this meant Mr. Kennedy would be on the ballot in November.

Mr. Kennedy is seeking ballot access in all 50 states through a mixture of independent petitions and third-party nominations. In some states, he has filed to create his own party . At the same time, Democratic allies of Mr. Biden are working to challenge his access to the ballot .

In a statement released by Mr. Kennedy’s campaign, Doug Dern, the chairman of the Natural Law Party, called him “the most qualified candidate in the modern-day history of America.”

Mr. Kennedy, an environmental lawyer known for his antivaccine activism, has spread misinformation about the risks of vaccinations and about other subjects . He also drew attention recently for suggesting that Mr. Biden might pose a greater threat to democracy than former President Donald J. Trump, who tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election, a claim that democracy experts called absurd .

While Mr. Kennedy is generally polling in single digits nationally, Mr. Biden’s campaign is worried that he could draw enough support in battleground states like Michigan to tip a close election to Mr. Trump.

Mr. Kennedy’s relatives are worried about that, too — as evidenced by their show of force for Mr. Biden on Thursday, when a group of them appeared alongside him at a campaign event in Pennsylvania.

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