Latinos have always loved the Kennedy family. In 1960, they
formed "Viva Kennedy" clubs across the country to support the candidacy of John
F. Kennedy.
But it was Sen. Edward "Ted" Kennedy who has left a legacy that
all Americans and especially Latinos should be proud of.
This legacy includes, the Civil Rights Act, the Voting
Rights Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.
This last act eliminated a quota system that favored
immigrants from Western Europe and shaped our modern-day immigration policy. It
was Kennedy's first major bill and the start of his commitment to fight for
immigrant rights.
He also was an advocate for the rights of farm workers and a
great supporter of Cesar Chavez.
But there are two issues that Kennedy left unfinished that
are vital for the Latino community. They are immigration reform and health care
reform.
Kennedy was a champion for immigration reform and worked
with Sen. John McCain on a bipartisan agreement during the Bush Administration.
They were not successful and we know that McCain backed away as he embarked on
his failed presidential campaign.
But Kennedy respected immigrants and fought for them to live
with dignity and equal rights.
"Our values are tarnished when we allow 12 million
human beings to live in the dark shadows of abuse as undocumented
immigrants," Kennedy said in 2007.
Kennedy also saw health care as a fundamental human right.
Reforming health care was his dying wish.
This is an issue that impacts 47 million Americans. More
than one-third of Latinos report they don't have health insurance but
two-thirds of the uninsured are working, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.
"What we have in the United States is not so much a
health-care system as a disease-care system," Kennedy said in 1994.
Kennedy was not a perfect man. We've read about his flaws. But
he was a fighter for social justice.
Hopefully our leaders in Congress will pay tribute to his
legacy and not be afraid to fight
like lions for immigration and health care reform.
They should remember what Kennedy said, " For all those
whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope
still lives and the dream shall never die."
Filed under: politics
Tags: Cesar Chavez, health care, immigration, Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, Latinos, Sen. Edward Kennedy
Viva Teddy!
"Our values are tarnished when we allow 12 million human beings to live in the dark shadows of abuse as undocumented immigrants," Kennedy said in 2007.
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Undocumented immigrants are ILLEGAL immigrants!
Indeed Teresa. He remembered his father telling him stories of seeing the signs "No Irish need apply" in Boston. Though privildged, perhaps Teddy never forgot that his great grand-grandfather arrived penniless in 1849 and died of cholera not a rich man. The Kennedys were not a Brahmin family but an immigrant success story that took only 3 generations to unfold. Perhaps this is why Joe and Rose Kennedy instilled in their children a commitment to public service. How might America be different had Bobby not been taken away so soon. I don't know but what does seem true is that Teddy chose to pick the fights that mattered most to us. If Bill Clinton is thought of the first "black president" could Teddy be our first "latino senator"? Maybe not, but he was definitely a friend. Adios Teddy, En Paz Descanses.
No, Ted Kennedy can't be your first "Latino senator," that honor would go to Octaviano Larrazolo & Dennis Chavez.