Much has been written about the contributions and legacy of US Senator Edward Kennedy in the short time since his passing, and I am sure that much more will be written in the years to come as there was much that Senator Kennedy fought for and championed.
However, I don’t want to focus on the issues that defined him, I want to focus on his character. Senator Kennedy was a man of action, a tireless advocate and campaigner, a consensus builder and a deal maker. These traits contributed to his success in the Senate, and showcased him as a Statesman. As many of us ponder how best to pay tribute to such a great man, I would ask you to stand up and take action. There is no one person who can take up the torch for where he left off, but if we all jump in and carry the torch together to show America how many lives he touched, then I think we can muster the momentum needed to complete his life’s work.
Over the past several years, NDN has been active in the efforts to encourage Congress to fix our broken immigration system by passing legislation to enact Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Through these efforts, NDN has had the fortune of working with Senator Kennedy, as this was one of his signature issues. Kennedy had been involved with every major legislation regarding immigration throughout his entire career in the Senate.
My colleague Zuraya Tapia wrote in her recent post,
On the day the immigration reform legislation failed in 2007, Kennedy predicted its backers would be vindicated. “We will be back and we will prevail,” he said.&
It is very clear again that Senator Kennedy’s choice of the word “we” was because he knew he was talking on behalf of so many people. It is important that “we” now take action and move forward on this effort.
I want to share with you a video clip of a speech that Senator Kennedy gave at a bipartisan panel that NDN hosted before the 2007 debate on immigration reform.
NDN is committed to continuing to work on this issue, and to encourage that the upcoming bill bear Senator Kennedy’s name. Rest assured Senator Kennedy, “We will be back and we will prevail.”