"Senator, thank you for holding high the bar of public service. Your life will be remembered well by your Serve America Act. As a Returned Peace Corps volunteer, I am deeply indebted to your family for making possible a personally transformative experience like no other. My assignment in El Salvador saved me from the throes of youthful insecurity and disillusionment and instilled a commitment to service, which inspires me yet in Congress. May new volunteers, emboldened by your legislation, serve in such a way that makes you proud." Congressman Mike Honda of California served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in El Salvador in the 1960's.
Mike Honda writes: The wide wake left by Ted Kennedy's legacy
The wide wake left by Ted Kennedy's legacy
By REP. MIKE HONDA | 8/27/09 4:52 AM EDT
Today, I write a thank-you letter to Sen. Ted Kennedy. I trust he will hear me, even now, but more important, may we hear him and his message, now and always. This week witnessed a loss that leaves wide the gap in government, but much wider is the wake left by his legacy.
As chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I want to thank you, Senator, for being the most formidable leader in the Senate on every major CAPAC issue. You were a testament to both your family's commitment to civil and human rights - seen in your tireless leadership and the humanity you brought to bear on race, health care, immigration and education - and how a Senate seat should be served.
Senator, you were a bull in the most delicate of political china shops, protecting the less privileged. Whether it was African-Americans suffering from the still-strong shadow of segregation, low-income and high-needs students struggling from the ill effects of an unequal education; new Americans of Hispanic, Arab and Asian descent dealing with the challenges of acclimating to a new country; or the 47 million uninsured Americans held haplessly by a health care industry dedicated to profits, not people - you fought for the least of these.
You rightly perceived these frontiers as fundamental rights: the right to live without fear of burning crosses or dangled nooses; the right to quality education, irrespective of your neighborhood's median income; the right to migrate to a nation composed entirely of immigrants and seek employment; and the right to decent, quality health care. This was your vision for America.
Senator, thank you for holding high the bar of public service. Your life will be remembered well by your Serve America Act. As a Returned Peace Corps volunteer, I am deeply indebted to your family for making possible a personally transformative experience like no other. My assignment in El Salvador saved me from the throes of youthful insecurity and disillusionment and instilled a commitment to service, which inspires me yet in Congress. May new volunteers, emboldened by your legislation, serve in such a way that makes you proud.
Rest in peace, Senator. May our service always be a testament to your legacy.
Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) is chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.
