Women With Impact #10 - Kerry Kennedy
Welcome to Women With Impact, a newsletter all about the journeys of ambitious women and how they have a positive impact in our world.
I’m Clara Richter and this is the 10th edition of Women With Impact. If you enjoy this issue, please share it with a friend and like it above.
For this edition, I interviewed Kerry Kennedy, President of the globally known non-profit human rights advocacy organisation Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. She is a lawyer and human rights activist since 30+ years, as well as New York Times best-selling author. Kerry Kennedy devotes herself to the pursuit of equal justice, the promotion and protection of basic rights, and the preservation of the rule of law. In particular, she concentrates on women’s rights and prevailing injustices, such as domestic violence, workplace discrimination and sexual assault. To date, she has led hundreds of human rights delegations across the globe.
Wishing you a pleasant read!
Best,
Clara
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The Journey
The Kennedy name is certainly synonymous with public service. But what inspired you to get involved with human rights?
As a sophomore in college, I took a summer internship with Amnesty International. The work opened my eyes to the human rights abuses U.S. officials committed against Salvadoran refugees. I was horrified that my country, the richest and most powerful of all nation on earth, treated the most destitute with such disdain. And I wanted to do something about it. Through groups like Amnesty, I learned how. But I also learned that there were thousands of other people like me around the world, using the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to change the course of their societies. I found myself surrounded by Davids, who, with little more than the slingshots of their hearts and nerve and sinew to support them, stood up against a world full of Goliaths. They changed my life, and I have been working on these issues ever since.
Along with domestic and international litigation, a major focus of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights is human rights education. How exactly do you do this, and work to inspire younger generations?
Our human rights education programme Speak Truth to Power tells the stories of champions of justice like Archbishop Tutu, His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, Malala and more, who stand up to government oppression at great personal risk and our outreach and education program is built around them. The programme’s lesson plans give teachers a toolkit to educate students on human rights, and to offer a path of understanding that moves young people off this course of isolating, anti-social behaviour and towards compassion and empathy. To date, Speak Truth to Power content has been used by over 80’000 educators and reached more than 2 million students worldwide.
Robert F. Kennedy’s words upon the death of Martin Luther King are often quoted 55 years later. What makes it so pertinent today?
There is so much divisiveness across political, economic, and racial divides today, it can feel impenetrable. The main theme of Daddy’s presidential bid was healing. He said, “What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness; but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or they be Black.” It’s important to look at history and know there’s a path forward.
The Lessons
How can we prevent the decay of our democracy? And find ways to bring opposite sides together amidst divisive political discourse?
I started working in human rights in 1988. At that time, Latin America was under military dictatorships, all Eastern Europe was at the height of Communism, and South Africa was under apartheid. Women’s rights were not on the international agenda. Today, all of those things have changed. All those changes happened not because governments wanted them to, or militaries or big corporations wanted them, but because small groups of determined people came together to harness the dream of freedom. That’s what human rights is about. That’s what the struggle for civil rights is about.
You’ve written several award-winning books. What did you learn from writing Speak Truth to Power, and RFK: Ripples of Hope?
Writing is something that keeps me both grounded and inspired. Twenty years ago, I traveled the world seeking to capture the stories of 51 individuals from nearly 40 countries and five continents. That journey culminated in my book, Speak Truth to Power, which tells their stories in the human rights defenders’ own voices. These defenders, separated by thousands of miles and life experiences, shared one commonality: a dedication to improving the lot of others, eliminating oppression, and establishing a better future. The book inspired our human rights education program, which now trains kindergarten through law school students to be human rights defenders around the world, from Greece to Spain to Northern Ireland, Switzerland, and Sarajevo. In 2018, I set out to write RFK:Ripples of Hope, interviewing national and international figures who have changed the world and were inspired by him, including Bono, Gloria Steinem, Alfre Woodard, Marian Wright Edelman, Tim Cook, and of course, my great friend, civil rights hero, and congressman John Lewis.
The Inspiration
What quote inspires you to keep going?
Certainly, one of them is rereading Lewis’ words in his final essay, something that hits hard in the really dark and difficult moments: “Humanity has been involved in this soul-wrenching, existential struggle for a very long time. People on every continent have stood in your shoes, through decades and centuries before you. The truth does not change, and that is why the answers worked out long ago can help you find solutions to the challenges of our time. Continue to build a union between movements stretching across the globe because we must put away our willingness to profit from the exploitation of others.”
How do women firmly cement a place in leadership?
Women need to demand a place in leadership and understand the system is stacked against them. First of all, we need to change laws so that woman are on an equal footing, laws like the Equal Pay Act, the Civil Rights Act, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the Violence Against Women Act, are some examples. Then, we need to address policies in the workplace or at schools or other institutions. And then, I am a firm believer in keeping our eyes open to myriad unconscious biases that are so pervasive — seeing and firmly pushing back on practices like turning to a man first to ask or answer a question, smiling at a woman, and not really engaging with her. There have been many instances both early in my career and in this present day when I have noticed that, and I try to find a way to thoughtfully and firmly push back.
Personal Insights
What does summer mean for you this year?
Summer means a chaotic mix of family and friends staying with us in Hyannis Port. Good visits and backgammon games with my mother – she doesn’t loose! There’s lots of sailing, swimming, and laughter. It’s exhilarating fun.
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