(Credit: John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com)

Born:

  • 11 April 1928
  • Chicago, Illinois

Parents:

  • George Skakel
  • Ann Brannack Skakel

Spouse:

  • Robert F. Kennedy, (m. 1950–his death in 1968)

Children:

  • Kathleen Hartington Kennedy Townsend
  • Joseph Patrick Kennedy II
  • Robert Francis Kennedy Jr.
  • David Anthony Kennedy
  • Courtney Kennedy Hill
  • Michael LeMoyne Kennedy
  • Mary Kerry Kennedy
  • Christopher George Kennedy
  • Matthew Maxwell Taylor “Max” Kennedy
  • Douglas Harriman Kennedy
  • Rory Elizabeth Katherine Kennedy Bailey

Education:

  • Earned a degree in history and government from the Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart in 1949

Life, work, and accomplishments:

  • Advocate and human rights lawyer for the rights of migrant workers and Native Americans, and having a special interest in environmental advocacy, especially in neglected areas in the nation
  • Founder of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights (initially the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights), which works to “realize Senator Robert Kennedy’s dream of a more just and peaceful world” by advocating for human rights worldwide, pursuing equality, and taking legal action to expose injustice
  • Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014 by Barack Obama for her dedication to “advancing the cause of social justice, human rights, environmental protection, and poverty reduction by creating countless ripples of hope to effect change around the world”
  • Also awarded the Robert F. Kennedy medal, among other awards and honors

“If you see something wrong, if you speak out, you can change it.” — Ethel Skakel Kennedy