* P ortlanb (Observer
Page A6
September 2, 2009
O pinion
Reflections on Ted Kennedy
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Our Most
Accomplished
American
A legacy for
Generations
S e n a to r Ted K en n ed y w as one o f our
nation’s greatest and most honorable leaders, paving the way
for equal rights, access to health care and bringing more op
portunity to Americans of all walks o f life.
His passionate com m itm ent to creating a safer and more
just nation and world for all of us today and into the future
will be missed but never forgotten.
Senator K ennedy’s legacy will live on for generations and
serves as a model for all of us in public and private service to
emulate. In his own words ‘the hope still lives and the dream
shall never die.’
-O regon Gov. Ted Kulongoski.
Ted Kennedy (1932-2009)
Senator Edward M. Kennedy was not
only one of the greatest senators o f our
time, but one o f the most accom plished
A m ericans ever to serve our democracy.
O ver the past half-century, nearly ev
ery m ajor piece o f legislation that has advanced the civil
rights, health, and econom ic w ell-being of the A m erican
people bore his name and resulted from his efforts. With his
passing, an important chapter in our American story has come
to an end.
—President Barack Obama
Kennedy’s Legacy will Endure
Unfinished Work
The nation and our union’s members have lost a great leader who
gave voice as the workers’ champion with a legacy that benefited
social and economic justice for all.
Senator Kennedy fought for us through nearly five decades and
authored more than 2,500 bills - beginning in the sixties for civil and
voter rights, and ending with his last vote on President Obama's
economic recovery plan. He never wavered in his support of work
ing families and left his imprint on every major piece of social legis
lation to pass Congress during his years in the Senate.
Today jobless workers have access to COBRA, entry-level work
ers get an improved minimum wage, millions of
children have access to healthcare, the family
medical leave act, and pension security are among
his legislative achievements.
But his work is unfinished for the Employee
Free Choice Act and the Affordable Health Choices
Act - bills he introduced in the current Congress.
We need to fulfill Senator Kennedy’s quest to make America a
better place and commit ourselves to winning healthcare for all and
congressional passage of legislation that secures the path of worker
rights to a union.
-L eo W. Gerard, International President of the United Steel
workers
Always on Our Side
With the passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, our nation
lost an extraordinary champion of equal justice. His leadership
on civil rights issues during nearly five decades of service in the
U. S. Senate is unprecedented and incomparable.
Beginning his Senate career at the dawn o f the civil rights
movement, he was at the helm during passage o f all of the
important federal civil rights laws— laws ensuring full partici
pation in the political process, opportunity in employment, ac
cess to public accommodations, fairness in housing and equal
opportunity in education.
In subsequent years, he worked to strengthen these laws and
to pass new laws protecting victims o f injustice. Without his
unyielding voice, the nation would be a very different place.
Indeed, the historic election of our current president would not
have been possible without these earlier milestones.
Senator Kennedy possessed a rare combination o f qualities
that allowed him to carry the torch on civil rights in the U.S.
Senate. He had an unwavering commitment to ensuring equal
opportunity, the courage to fight the hard battles, the optimism
to lead others, and the perseverance and statesmanship that
ensured victory after victory.
Above all, what we will remember is his fearlessness. When
doubt or cynicism or the prospect o f defeat was injected into
the debate. Senator Kennedy inspired us to continue the struggle
for a fairer and more just society. In addition to inspiring us, it
was Senator Kennedy who often crafted the legislative plan
leading to success in that struggle.
Simply put. Senator Kennedy was always on our side, and,
on many occasions, this made the difference to the cause for
justice.
-NAAC’P Legal Defease Fund
There was no one else like Senator Kennedy, and there never
will be.
The causes he championed during almost half of a century of
public service are strong proof that he kept the interests of the
most vulnerable Americans in his heart and in his mind, and he
applied his pen to these causes, authoring and helping to pass
some of our nation’s most important pieces of legislation.
He got right to work upon entering the Senate in the early
1960s and was instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights
Act, the Voting Rights Act, and the Fair Housing Act - land
mark laws that gave minorities a platform on which they could
not only stand but from which they could hold their heads
high and assert their political strength.
Later in his career he helped establish the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration, wrote the Americans with
Dream for Equality Shall Never Die
ACORN knew no truer friend in Congress than Senator
Kennedy. Over the years we have worked side by side to better
the lives of low-and moderate-income Americans.
Teddy, as many of our members call him, was a fre
quent participant in various events where ACORN
members would come from Massachusetts and be
yond to make their voice heard in Washington.
The great influence Senator Kennedy has had on
our lives and the way he changed the course of Ameri
can history cannot be overstated. He was a true advocate for
immigration reform, living wages, civil rights, labor, fair hous
ing, and, of course, what he considered the ‘cause of his life,’
healthcare reform.
At this critical juncture in our national journey we can learn
from Senator Kennedy’s example, from his passion and
perseverance.
The sadness we feel today is deep, and will not soon
subside. But ACORN members take heart in the fact that
we remain so deeply committed to those causes Senator
Kennedy found so important.
We vow to continue on in his name. As he said, ‘the
work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the
dream shall never die.’
-M aude Hurd, ACORN National President
His Work Made the Country Better
I first saw Senator Kennedy in action when he spoke
to Senate interns in 1976. It was a standing-room-only
crowd. I was tremendously impressed by his principled
fight for working Americans, his booming voice, and
his passion. His informal title as ‘Lion of the Senate’
was well-earned.
He has been die force behind so many advances in areas
ranging from health care and education to civil rights and the
judiciary, including landmark legislation such as Medicare, Head
Start and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Even as he fought the illness that would ultimately take him
from us, he continued to push for health care reform that would
provide every American with quality, affordable health care.
In a life marked by so many personal tragedies, he never
gave up on die battle to make our nation a fairer and better
place for Americans.
Senator Kennedy dedicated himself to the most Ameri
can of values: that every person deserves an equal oppor
tunity to pursue his or her God-given talents.
The nation has lost a giant. Senator Kennedy made the Senate
a better place, he made the country a better place, and I cannot
express how honored I am to have had a brief chance to serve with
him.
- U S . Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.
Will Forever be Grateful
A Civil Rights Giant
Our nation has lost a steadfast champion for equality, fairness
and social justice. The Latino community will forever be grateful
for Senator Kennedy's work to strengthen our education system,
as well as his fight to end discrimination and efforts to reform our
immigration system.
Throughout his life, he worked tirelessly for the betterment of all
people and left an indelible mark on many laws that are critically
important to Hispanics. Senator Kennedy's legacy will not be forgot
ten and we should all honor him by
continuing to advance
the causes he held
dear.
—Rep. N ydia M.
V elazquez, C h air
woman of the Con
gressional Hispanic
Caucus
Senator Kennedy was a true friend to the
N A A C P and the c a u se s o f civ il rig h ts
throughout his entire career.
Civil Rights, human rights and health care,
among others, were issues that were far from
just political for Senator Kennedy, they were
personal. He was always so passionate and inspiring on the
floor of the Senate, at forums and in his every-day dealings
with the NAACP that everyone he came in contact with would
walk away with a renewed sense of purpose and commitment
to issues of human dignity and justice.
The entire NAACP family is deeply saddened by this loss.
Senator Kennedy was it political strategist like no other and
not only have we lost an ally, but we have lost one of the
giants in the Civil Rights movement.
-H ilary O. Shelton, NAACP senior vice president
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D isabilities Act and the bill to create the State
C h ild re n ’s H ealth Insurance Program , and
pushed legislation to raise the federal m ini
mum wage.
He was proud to champion liberal policies and
passionate about the issues but always willing
to listen to others respectfully and willing to ne
gotiate to find common ground when needed.
My life was enriched by know ing ancf w orking with the
‘Lion of the Senate’. Though deeply upset by his loss, I am
com forted in part by knowing that his legacy will endure,
and I will join with fellow progressives in carrying on his
work, particularly fulfilling ‘the cause of his lifetim e’ by pass
ing m eaningful health care reform.
-U .S . Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif.
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Making Streetcars Work
In response to the story on streetcars expand
ing (“Cutting Edge Displacment,” Portland Ob
server, Aug. 19), we hope that the City of Port
land and Portland Streetcar, Inc. doesn’t share
the point of view expressed by Christopher B.
Leinbcrger, the visiting fellow with the Brookings
Institution who was quoted in the article.
Leinberger’s opinion that Portland “has a very
straightforward set of options when it comes to
streetcar expansion: accept displacement or ‘stay
poor.’" sets up a false paradigm and pits public
interests against each other.
While it is true that developments such as the
eastside streetcar line can cause displacement, it
is also true that projects can potentially benefit
the long time residents of a traditionally disad
vantaged neighborhixxl. Of course for long term
residents to benefit, they have to be able to afford
to stay in the neighborhood.
Reporter Jake Thomas points out that there are
currently few concrete plans for addressing a prob
able loss of affordable housing that will result from
streetcar expansion. It is this lack of planning that
is the problem, not the streetcar itself. It is not a
foregone conclusion that to have the benefits of
the streetcar we must also accept gentrification,
displacement of local small businesses and other
ills.
When we match affordable housing with reli
able public transit, it is a powerful tool to create
opportunity for those who have traditionally been
left behind.
-M ichael Anderson, executive director, Or
egon Opportunity Network