Remarks by Senator Edward M. Kennedy
Remarks delivered by Senator Edward Kennedy at the presentation of the 2006 John F. Kennedy New Frontier Awards, November 20, 2006.
It’s an honor to join all of you, and our two impressive honorees - Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti and Jane Leu, founder and executive director of Upwardly Global. They each embody the spirit of service to others that my brother worked so hard to inspire in peoples throughout the country and throughout the world.
President Kennedy believed very strongly, as he often said, that each of us can make a difference and all of us should try. It was a commitment that he lived by each day, and believed deeply in, and that he summed up in his extraordinary vision of a New Frontier for America – a new era a possibility and accomplishment for our country for our role in the world.
That vision led to the dismantling of institutionalized racism with the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. It lifted tens of millions of seniors out of poverty with Medicare. It opened the door to higher education for countless young men and women with the creation of the first federal student loan and grant programs. It put a man on the moon, and launched a new era of scientific discovery.
The leaders of his generation were motivated by a youthful energy, a dedication to their fellow human beings, and here at home and all through the nation, a sense that all things are possible for those who dare to dream, who are bold enough to believe that together we can leave this world better than we found it.
We find ourselves in an age of great challenge adversity as well, with growing violence around the world, environmental dangers that threaten the health of our planet, and growing competition from other nations, that is calling into question America’s ability to lead in this new century.
Fortunately, we’re blessed with young men and women like Eric Garcetti and Jane Leu, who are dedicated to using their talents to improve their communities. As long as we have leaders like these, we can be sure that America’s greatest days still lie ahead of her. I know my brother would be proud of you for creating your own new frontiers.