When people speak of the Senator Edward Kennedy's legacy, there is a widespread consensus about the role he played in the Hispanic community, according to the testimony of activists and various members of Congress.
"Our values are compromised when we allow 12 million people to live in the shadows of abuse as undocumented immigrants," Kennedy said in 2007, when he defended the immigration reform bill that Capitol Hill defeated.
"The moment he stepped onto the podium and spoke to the people, with some words in Spanish, the way in which the public responded and at the same he connected with them, it was extraordinary, electrifying," said Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice [an organization that works to realize the promise of workable and humane comprehensive immigration reform], recalling a speech the senator gave in Washington in 2007.
"I had the opportunity to work with him after the raids in New Bedford, Massachusetts in March 2007," said Ali Noorani, director of the National Immigration Forum, in reference to an incident the Latino community confronted, when a large-scale roundup resulted in 361 workers detained and facing deportation.
"He was a champion for all of us," Noorani added. "His sense of justice for the Latino community was crystal clear. I remember conversations with him after the roundup. Each time he witnessed a similar incident he would say to me: 'We have to fix the system.' I could feel the pain in his voice."
Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) had a similar recollection. She stressed that the death of Kennedy "is a hard hit and an extraordinary loss for the entire Latino community. This man was a giant, a champion in the struggle to defend the most vulnerable," she said.
Nevertheless, when discussing the issues at the forefront of the Senator's interests, one also is discussing key issues that highlight President Barack Obama's current agenda and that of Congress, like healthcare reform and the proposed legislation for immigration reform.
Both areas were battles in which Kennedy actively participated and did not live to see them realized.
