On Friday, Oct. 30, I did something somewhat atypical for a college student to do on Halloweekend: I went to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. The museum was hosting Kerry Kennedy, daughter of former U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy, who was giving a talk about her new book about her mother, titled: “Ethel Kennedy: The Extraordinary Life and Bold Legacy.” Prior to attending this event, I knew next to nothing about Ethel or her inspiring humanitarian work, or even about Kerry Kennedy, but I obviously knew of the Kennedy legacy and the family’s work.
For about an hour, Kerry described the ease in which her mother showed kindness and goodness and how that impacted her childhood in a variety of ways. She explained how Ethel “would not let anything continue to go wrong if she could do something about it.” Her ability to really meaningfully touch the lives of others came through very clearly in this talk, especially with very personal interactions and helping young children in her community. She described how, given how many children her parents had—they had 11—and how many friends they had, their house was always alive and full of people, as well as a large assortment of animals; from ducks to dogs to horses.
Kerry described Ethel’s strong religious faith and her spirit, describing how that faith was what was able to get her through the assassination of her husband, Robert Kennedy. She described how her mother would regularly attend Mass and prayed every night. When Native Americans went to occupy the island of Alcatraz in the 1970s, Ethel was the only white person invited to join. Through her work, she changed the lives of countless people in countless ways. Clearly, she was a force to be reckoned with and after this election cycle, I think we were all reminded of the power of patriotic, faith-driven Democrats.
I have not gotten a chance to read her book yet, but I hope to do so soon. As I have come to learn, in some ways the Kennedy family should be an inspiration to us all for who we can be and should strive to be as members of a global community.
