This spring, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and the Kennedy family honored the recipients of the 2005 Profile in Courage Award. During a special trip to Boston, on April 5, President Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine accepted the 2005 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award from Caroline Kennedy and Senator Edward M. Kennedy. The celebration continued on May 16th, with a second ceremony honoring Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, former Texas Lieutenant Governor Bill Ratliff and United States Army Sergeant Joseph Darby.
The special ceremony honoring President Yushchenko at the Kennedy Presidential Library took place during an official state visit to the United States. President Yushchenko’s trip also included a meeting with President George W. Bush as well as a historic address to a joint session of Congress.
“President Kennedy believed that one man of courage makes a majority,” said Caroline Kennedy, President of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, in presenting Yushchenko with the award. “Viktor Yushchenko embodies that belief for a new generation. In the face of corruption, intimidation and life threatening danger, he remained true to the ideals of freedom, democracy and the rule of law. His courage has inspired citizens of the world.”
Senator Edward Kennedy said, “At a critical moment in his nation’s history, Viktor Yushchenko took a strong and courageous stand for what he knew was right. He risked his life – and nearly lost it – in the ongoing struggle for democracy in Ukraine. His story is the story of honor, decency, and the will of the people triumphing over fraud, deceit and intimidation. And because of his great courage, the rule of law prevailed against the oppressive rule of the powerful over the powerless. Viktor Yushchenko is a Profile in Courage for the ages, and I know my brother would be immensely proud of him.”
A Ukrainian reformist politician, Yushchenko was elected president on December 26, 2004, after weeks of turmoil and a fraudulent election that thrust his country into chaos. Through it all, Yushchenko survived a near lethal poising by dioxin and had to be hospitalized for several weeks.
May 16, 2005
On May 16, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and former Texas Lieutenant Governor Bill Ratliff received the 2005 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. A special Profile in Courage Award was also presented to United States Army Sergeant Joseph Darby.
“My father most admired those in public life who had the courage to make decisions of conscience without regard for the consequences,” said Caroline Kennedy. “Shirley Franklin and Bill Ratliff are an inspiration to all who serve in government, and to all Americans, for their principled and bipartisan leadership, and their willingness to make the difficult and unpopular decisions necessary for good governance. Our nation is also indebted to U.S. Army Sergeant Joseph Darby who, despite great personal risk, stood up for the rule of law and exposed the torture and scandal in Iraq.”
“In this era of intense partisan divisions, it is most heartening and inspiring to pay tribute to the political courage of Mayor Franklin, Senator Ratliff, and Sergeant Darby, who chose first and foremost to act for the good of their community and country. President Kennedy would be proud of them,” said Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, the first woman to serve as mayor of Atlanta, was recognized for her courageous leadership in restoring fiscal stability and ethical government to Atlanta. Facing an $82 million deficit upon taking office in 2001, Mayor Franklin, a Democrat, formed an unprecedented alliance between Republicans, the business community and state government, raised taxes, cut the city payroll, and imposed a strict code of ethics. Four years later, Atlanta enjoys a budget surplus.
Bill Ratliff, former Texas lieutenant governor and state senator, was honored for a distinguished career as a courageous bipartisan leader in his state. Senator Ratliff’s most recent act of courage was to fight for a fair electoral process, becoming the only Republican legislator to object to his party’s redistricting plan. This principled action was the culmination of a distinguished career in Texas politics. Senator Ratliff also largely wrote and secured passage of landmark education legislation, and worked to improve health insurance and access to Medicaid, while maintaining an inclusive style of governing in an era of sharp partisan politics.
U.S. Army Sergeant Joseph M. Darbywas awarded a special John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for standing up for the rule of law as a soldier serving with the 372nd Military Police Company in Iraq. Darby turned in photographs to Army investigators depicting members of his unit taking part in the torture and humiliation of Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison. His decision to alert Army investigators to the abuse triggered a formal, and still ongoing, examination of the government’s interrogation policy. Subsequent media reports and the publication of the photos sparked worldwide outrage.
Profile in Courage Award Selection Committee
Committee Chair: John Seigenthaler, Founder, Freedom Forum First Amendment Center
Committee Members: Michael Beschloss, author and presidential historian; David Burke, former president of CBS News; U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi); Marian Wright Edelman, president of the Children’s Defense Fund; Antonia Hernandez, president and chief executive officer of the California Community Foundation; Al Hunt, Washington managing editor of Bloomberg News; U.S. Representative Nancy Johnson (R-Connecticut); Elaine Jones, former director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund; Caroline Kennedy, president of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation; U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-Massachusetts); Paul G. Kirk, Jr., chairman of the board of directors of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation; U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine); and Patricia M. Wald, former judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. John Shattuck, chief executive officer of the Kennedy Library Foundation, staffs the Committee. Mr. Shattuck is a former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State and a former U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic.