FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 26, 2009

 

 

“Today the working families of Massachusetts mourn the passing of the biggest voice and the biggest champion of the ‘little guy’ to ever serve in the United States Senate. His legacy on workers’ rights, civil rights, and human rights lives on in the quality of life and freedoms he ensured would be extended to all Americans, regardless of race, religion, gender, disability, economic status or any other factor. The Massachusetts AFL-CIO joins the entire world in expressing our condolences to the Kennedy Family during this incredibly solemn time. The enormity of the loss of Ted Kennedy cannot be overstated, especially in terms of the impact his life has had on the pursuit of social and economic justice in this country. Ted Kennedy epitomized humanity in every sense of the word. His larger-than-life presence was only outpaced by his kindness in the form of even the smallest, most humane gestures. Few public figures had the impact on others that Senator Kennedy had, traversing the entire spectrum from the indelible mark he left in both the history books and on individual lives.

 

“The great lesson of his life is that even the hardest challenges are no match for determination in the pursuit of what is right. The working men and women of organized labor, and all working families, have been so fortunate that Senator Kennedy’s mission for a better country matched the virtues of our Labor Movement. We are overcome at this monumental loss, but we will honor his life and his legacy the only way we know how. In the spirit of one of Ted Kennedy’s favorite poems, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO will strive, seek, find and not yield in the pursuit we shared with our Senator of improving the lives of all workers in this nation. Through that work, the dream will indeed live on.”