Legendary Senator Edward Moore Kennedy, who diedAug. 25 from malignant brain cancer, is also being mourned by African
Americans because of his longstanding advocacy for civil rights and
liberal causes. Mostly called “Ted” and “Teddy” by family, friends and
the public, Kennedy’s sponsorship of the Martin Luther King holiday
convinced arch-conservative Republican President Ronald Reagan to sign
the bill in 1983. Equally important was Kennedy’s public endorsement of
freshman Illinois Senator Barack Obama over Hillary Rodham Clinton for
president in February 2008. It is seen as one of the most important
developments in Obama’s successful run for the White House.
Kennedy
actively supported Coretta Scott King’s efforts in her continued fight
for equality and justice after the death of her revered husband.
Kennedy also gave the Obama daughters, Sasha and Malia, the Portuguese
waterdog “Bo” after the first family searched for a pet that would be
compatible with their daughter’s allergies.
The
youngest child of the Kennedy political dynasty, Ted Kennedy was first
elected to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts in 1962. After serving in
the Senate through 10 U.S. presidents and for almost 50 years, Kennedy
is the third-longest serving and one of the most influential senators
in U.S. history. He carried the civil rights torch that his older
brothers — President John F. Kennedy and Attorney
General-turned-Senator Robert F. Kennedy — first lit in the 1960s.
After all of Ted Kennedy’s older brothers were killed prematurely [Joe
Jr. during World War II in 1944, John in 1963 and Bobby in 1968], Ted
Kennedy was viewed as the heir apparent to the Kennedy legacy of civil
rights advocacy and service to the nation. Kennedy actively campaigned
for desegregation of public schools in the early 1970s, famously
withstanding rock-throwing opponents in Boston. He was a vocal opponent
of Judge Clarence Thomas during the infamous Supreme Court nominations
in the early 1990s.
Ted Kennedy is also
at the center of one of the most contentious and divisive issues of the
day: health care. President Obama promised Kennedy that he would
champion Kennedy’s longstanding fight for legitimate health care reform
when he received Kennedy’s endorsement.
Kennedy,
who ironically passed away near Martha’s Vineyard where the Obamas are
now vacationing, was 77 years old. –terry shropshire
