Profiles in Courage

 

by Pa Rock

Proud American

John. F. Kennedy penned the biographical collection "Profiles in Courage" while serving in the US Senate and recovering from back surgery during the years 1954-1955.  It was published in 1956 and went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for biography in 1957.  In that relatively small volume, the future President told the life stories of eight former US Senators and how they helped to shape the United States through personal courage and political risk.  Those eight senators were:  John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Thomas Hart Benton, Sam Houston, Edmund G. Ross, Lucius Lamar, George Norris, and Robert A. Taft.   They were from a variety of political parties, but each had the personal courage to put the needs of their country above their own self-interest and partisan politics.

In 1989, twenty-six years after the death of President Kennedy, the Profiles in Courage Award was established by the late President's family to honor his legacy.  The award is administered by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, and recipients are selected by a bipartisan committee designated by the Foundation to review all nominees.  Recipients have come from a variety of locations worldwide and represent government, the public service sector, and the general population.  

This year there will be two recipients:  Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell - and the People of the Twin Cities, Minnesota.  The announcement released by the John F. Kennedy Library Founation read as follows:

Jerome Powell:

The 2026 Profile in Courage Award will be presented to Federal Reserve of the United States Chairman Jerome Powell for protecting the independence of the Federal Reserve which is critical to the stability of the global economy despite years of personal attacks and threats from the highest levels of government.

The People of the Twin Cities, Minnesota:

The people of the Twin Cities of Minnesota will be honored with a John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for risking their lives to protect their neighbors and immigrant community members from an unprecedented law enforcement operation, peacefully defending the human rights and values that serve as the foundation of our Constitutional democracy.

What brilliant choices!  Congratulations to the honorees!