In 1967 Higginbotham arranged for President Johnson to visit North Philadelphia, to tour a community revitalization effort. Higginbotham would later describe Johnson's reaction to seeing the efforts of a small community to restore a dilapidated police station, saying "I think he was elated, absolutely exhilarated, because he saw results. It wasn't phony, and it wasn't something on which an extraordinary amount money had been spent." A year later, following the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, President Johnson called on Higginbotham again, appointing him as a member of the newly created Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence. In 1968 he served as Vice Chairman of President Johnson's Kerner Commission.