Kerry Kennedy
Kerry Kennedy’s life’s work reflects a family ethic that shaped a generation of Americans. As her uncle President John F. Kennedy said, “The highest duty of the citizen is to be informed and to take part in public affairs.” In keeping with that thought, as president of the advocacy group named for her parents, the Robert and Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center, she has devoted her life to a brand of global advocacy inspired by their legacy.
Kennedy warns of a drift toward autocracy in America. She notes that, over the decades, authoritarian regimes have followed a familiar playbook: undermining the press, targeting marginalized communities, and silencing human rights defenders. What concerns her most is the cumulative effect of attacks on democratic norms. She argues this trend is not inevitable but will be checked only when ordinary citizens stand in opposition to assaults on their rights and institutions.
She has traveled to more than sixty global “hot spots,” often regions marked by war, repression, or systemic abuse. She has led numerous human rights delegations, partnering with frontline defenders to address political repression, war crimes, women’s rights, environmental harm, and freedom of expression.
Kennedy has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump’s policies. In March 2020, she advanced a lawsuit - RFK Human Rights et al. v. U.S. Department of State - challenging the department’s Commission on Unalienable Rights. The suit argued the commission was ideologically stacked, violated transparency requirements, and was unlawfully formed. Kennedy argued it had weakened long-standing civil and human rights protections by exporting “misogynistic and homophobic policies.”
Another case, RFK Human Rights v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (2025), focused on immigration enforcement, including deportation policies and detention conditions. Kennedy has emphasized concerns about due process and human rights violations in these facilities.
She has also supported efforts to preserve the historic identity of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, underscoring her desire to preserve both the rule of law concerning the illegal infringement on that facility’s name and her family’s legacy.
Her willingness to confront injustice, concern for its victims, and moral courage remain defining features of her work.
“This is a union and that means we need to find ways to get along. It’s very, very important to look for the best in everyone, and remember that a lot of the people who disagree with you politically will be the first to help you when your car runs out of gas or when you get a flat tire. We really need to get over this sense of anger and rage at people and direct that anger and rage at the policies.”
HYANNIS PORT, MASSACHUSETTS – JULY 13, 2025