The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award was created in 1989 by members of President Kennedy’s family to honor President John F. Kennedy and to recognize and celebrate the quality of political courage that he admired most.
The award recognizes a public official (or officials) at the federal, state or local level whose actions demonstrate the qualities of politically courageous leadership in the spirit of Profiles in Courage, President Kennedy’s 1957 Pulitzer prize-winning book, which recounts the stories of eight U.S. Senators who risked their careers by embracing unpopular positions for the greater good.
The award is presented each May at a ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in connection with the observance of President Kennedy’s birthday on May 29.
The Profile in Courage Award is administered by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. A distinguished bipartisan committee named by the Foundation reviews all nominations, and selects the recipient or recipients of the award.
Since 1989, the Kennedy Library Foundation has given the Profile in Courage Award to almost 50 public servants, including Congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis; former Labor Secretary Hilda Solis for her work as a California State Senator championing environmental justice for disenfranchised minorities; and Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy for courageously defending the U.S. resettlement of Syrian refugees. Those who are honored with the award come from all walks of life, but they share a common quality: they took a stand for the public interest, instead of doing what was politically convenient.
Do you know an elected official who should be recognized for an act of courage? Submit a courageous leader for consideration for the 2018 Profile in Courage Award.
Thank you,
Ambassador Caroline Kennedy
Honorary President
John F. Kennedy Library Foundation