Ten Things Ted Kennedy Did For Latinos

Ted Kennedy In Corpus Christi, Texas, Campaigning For Barack Obama. Every immigration bill since 1965 has carried Kennedy's name.

Senator Ted Kennedy died shortly before midnight last night succumbing to brain cancer at the age of 77. Nicknamed the Liberal Lion of the Senate, he worked passionately for over forty years on issues that affect Latinos and other ethnic minorities every day. Let’s take a look back at his amazing career.

The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965

A hundred years from now, Teddy Kennedy may be most remembered for getting through Congress the immigration bill that changed what America looks like. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which Kennedy was put in charge of by his elder party members after only three years in office, abolished national-origin quotas that had been in place since 1924. Essentially, these quotas kept people who weren’t from western Europe from immigrating legally into the U.S. The bill was largely opposed by Southern states, (surprise!), but thanks to Kennedy’s championing, (his first speech on the Senate floor was for this bill), it was passed and signed into law by Lyndon Johnson on July 1, 1968, opening the door for millions of Latinos, (those of us who weren’t, you know, already born here), amongst others, to make a life for themselves in this country.

Civil Rights Act of 1991

This act greatly improved the language from the two previous Civil Rights Acts, written in 1866 and 1964, to give more leeway to employees suing their employers for discrimination. It was about time, seeing as the first two Civil Rights Acts were written when American government was less than representative of the people.

Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

Latinos continue to be the most uninsured racial/ethnic group of US children even though most of their families are working. Kennedy was inspired by a health insurance plan in Massachusetts to introduce a bill, in 1997, which provides matching funds to states for health insurance for children of families with incomes that are modest, but too high to qualify for Medicaid. The bill was to be financed with 75 cents a pack cigarette tax increase–something cigarette lobbyists were up in arms about. After MUCH deliberation, and with the help of first lady Hillary Clinton, it was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on August 5, 1997. On January 14, 2009, the House passed a bill authorizing spending $32.8 billion more to expand the health coverage program to include about 4 million more children, including coverage of legal immigrants, with no waiting period for the first time. A cigarette tax increase of 62 cents—bringing the total tax on a pack of cigarettes to $1.01—an increase of tax on chewing tobacco from $0.195/lb. to $0.50/lb.—as well as tax increases on other tobacco products will fund the program’s expansion. President Obama signed the bill into law, with two amendments from the senate, on February 4, 2009.

Immigration reform

During a strategic session in 2005 for a reform proposal sponsored by Rep. Hilda L. Solis (D-CA) to speed up the naturalization process for U.S. military service members, it was Kennedy who taught Solis how to fight for the cause.

“He was pushing me, pushing me. ‘Hilda, you have to do more! You have to do more!’” recalled Solis, who is no legislative slouch. “He was the one keeping everyone accountable.” They persevered, and the bill became law.

Never forgetting his own Irish-immigrant roots, Senator Kennedy was a champion for immigration reform who worked closely with Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona to reach a bipartisan agreement that could get passed during the last years of George W. Bush’s reign. Their plan would have made it possible for an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants to acquire citizenship in the U.S. and to organize a convoluted employer sanctions system. It was not to be, despite having the support of the president, but Kennedy was never afraid of the long haul. Said Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) “I think his view is if it takes 10 years or if it takes 15 years to get a bill, then let’s do it in 15 years. He’s always had the long view and the big picture in mind.” In this video, Kennedy discusses his personal connection to immigrants and the values they carry to America.

The Only Politician Unafraid To Sing “Ay, Jalisco No Te Rajes” In Public On Behalf of Immigration Reform

Though he failed to pass his immigration reform bill, no one could say it was for lack of passion. Appearing on the Piolin radio show in Los Angeles in June of 2007–the highest rated morning show in Los Angeles at that time, thank you very much– Kennedy broke into a rousing rendition of “Ay, Jalisco No Te Rajes,” inspired by the home state of the show’s illegal immigrant host and honed by many years of experience in cantinas, no doubt.

Hate Crimes Bill

Kennedy was an ardent supporter of bills that sought to clarify the rights of minorities, both ethnic and sexual, when it came to acts of violence and crime. He championed the Matthew Shepard Bill which closed “flagrant loopholes” in previous hate crime bills that required ethnic minorities to be engaged in a federally-protected activity, like voting or going to school, and ignored sexual minorities altogether.

The DREAM Act

In March of this year, Senator Kennedy co-sponsored the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, a bill that would allow immigrant children who were raised in the US to attend state-run universities, apply for financial aid and attain citizenship.

Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act

This act, named for the Senator in March of 2009, revitalized President Clinton’s Americorps. Americorps rewards volunteers, who serve poor communities in the areas of education, public safety, health, and the environment, by helping to fund their higher education.

Universal Healthcare

It is widely known that Ted Kennedy’s life passion was healthcare reform. From the beginning of his career, he championed the idea of national insurance coverage only to miss out on its time on center stage because of his own health issues. But that didn’t stop him from being intimately involved, mostly by telephone, in the development of the current healthcare reform bill while Connecticut Democrat Christopher Dodd filled in for him as “designated hitter.” There’s no doubt that the strides he made during his career–the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Mental Health Parity Act, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and the COBRA Act–have set the stage for some great leaps in healthcare change.

Got Kicked Out Of Harvard For Cheating In Spanish Class

This one is unorthodox, but here goes: Ted Kennedy was a spectacular fuck-up. We don’t have to go into his many transgressions. You undoubtedly know them well. He was a wealthy, privileged, white male who blew many opportunities thrown his way. Did they hurt his ability to get elected to one of the most powerful positions in America? No. But it’s what he did while he was there–champion the causes of the poor, the alienated and the disenfranchised–that showed us what he was really made of. Maybe it was because he was such a fuck up in his youth that he could never forget his family’s humble beginnings, as immigrant Irish–the wetbacks of their day. His faithfulness to the immigrant, the working class, the poor and the gay made it okay to be the other Kennedy boy. The one who wasn’t the tallest or the most handsome or the most ready-for-TV. In the end, it was he who outlasted all the others and did more tangible good for the people of this country than any of his more glamorous family members. And that is the way we like to remember him most.