Norton Remembers Ted Kennedy as Champion for the Dispossessed and Healer for the Nation (8/26/09)

Norton Remembers Ted Kennedy as Champion for the Dispossessed and Healer for the Nation

August 26, 3009

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) this morning released the following statement on the passing of her friend and champion of D.C. causes, Senator Ted Kennedy.

"With the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy this morning, the nation's heart is broken. Ted crossed the aisle and worked his magic with the success that no other member of the Senate or House enjoyed. Yet, Ted was no adherent of the fuzzy middle. He anchored his career on the frontier of difficult issues, especially for those with no voice, few rights, and little economic justice, pulling his colleagues where few dared to go without him. However, it was the Kennedy magic that often brought resolution and agreement.

"I will miss Ted's partnership, particularly on the most important District issues. Ted was always there with us and for us. No matter how deep the controversy - from public funds for public schools to our struggle for D.C. Statehood, and when statehood was not then possible, for the House and Senate vote, and today for the D.C. House Voting Rights Act of 2009 we are so close to achieving. Although ill in Massachusetts, he was the first to call to assure me of his continued work on D.C. voting rights, and he continued to help us during his absence from the Senate.

"I had hoped to see Ted again soon as we brought to conclusion our bill for a Congressional Gold Medal for the nation's first popularly elected African American Senator, Sen. Edward Brooke, a native Washingtonian who served Massachusetts with Ted from 1967 to 1979. As we plan for an upcoming ceremony to award this medal this fall, I know that Sen. Brooke will feel the loss of his friend in a uniquely special way.

"In the wake of a triumphant Senate career, Ted Kennedy has left it to us to complete his life's work on his signature issue - healthcare for the nation. His passing in the midst of the healthcare struggle wounds us. May we find healing in new healthcare legislation for all Americans."