Ethel Kennedy — ethel kennedy turned grief into human rights advocacy
ethel kennedy, now 96, transformed personal tragedy into a decades-long campaign for global human rights after the June 1968 assassination of her husband, Robert F. Kennedy. The widow of Robert F. Kennedy has combined family life and public service, founding the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights and sustaining a public presence into her late eighties.
Early life and family background
Ethel Skakel Kennedy was born into privilege as the sixth of seven children in a wealthy Chicago family. Her father, George Skakel, founded Great Lakes Carbon Corporation and built the family fortune in the railroad and industrial sectors. She was raised Catholic by her devout Irish mother, Ann Brannack, and that faith guided her life.
Meeting Robert F. Kennedy in 1945
While attending Manhattanville College in 1945, Ethel met Robert F. Kennedy on a ski trip to Quebec, beginning a romance that would shape both their lives. The couple married in 1950 at St. Mary Church in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Marriage, Hickory Hill and children
After marrying Robert in 1950, Ethel became embedded in the Kennedy dynasty. She campaigned for her brother-in-law, President John F. Kennedy, and supported Robert’s work as Attorney General under JFK's administration. The couple purchased Hickory Hill, their Virginia estate, where they hosted intellectuals, artists, and politicians. Between 1951 and 1968, Ethel gave birth to 11 children while maintaining her role as a political confidante and public figure.
Assassination at the Ambassador Hotel
On June 5, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles by Sirhan Sirhan. He died the following day at age 42. Ethel was present at the scene and was three months pregnant with their youngest child, Rory Kennedy. The assassination left Ethel a widow at age 40 with 11 children ranging in age from 3 to 17. Biographer Evan Thomas said Ethel stated she would never remarry and would instead dedicate herself to furthering Robert’s work and legacy.
Ethel Kennedy and human rights
Within months of Robert’s death, Ethel founded the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, now known simply as Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. That organization advanced causes including gun control, environmental protection, mental health advocacy, and international human rights. Her daughter Kerry Kennedy served as president of the human rights center, continuing the family mission.
Awards, activism and public moments
In 1981, President Ronald Reagan honored Ethel with the Robert F. Kennedy Medal in the White House Rose Garden. In 2014, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, recognizing her dedication to social justice, human rights, environmental protection, and poverty reduction. That same year, a bridge over the Anacostia River in Washington, D. C., was renamed the Ethel Kennedy Bridge in her honor. In March 2016, at age 88, Ethel marched near Wendy’s chairman’s home with farmworkers, demanding wage increases for field workers at one cent per pound of tomatoes.
Children’s public lives and cultural portrayals
Several notable lives emerged from her 11 children. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend served as Maryland’s Lieutenant Governor, Joseph P. Kennedy II represented Massachusetts in Congress, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became a prominent public figure. In 2012, her youngest child Rory Kennedy directed a documentary titled Ethel, chronicling her mother’s life through interviews, family videos, and archival photographs; the film captured how Ethel raised her children while maintaining her advocacy work. Taylor Swift even drew inspiration from Ethel’s love story for her song Starlight.
From her Chicago upbringing and marriage at St. Mary Church in Greenwich, Connecticut, to the shooting at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968, and the founding of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, Ethel Kennedy’s life has been a continuous blend of private family responsibilities and public activism.
